Ottawa, November 1, 2017 – The interim report released today by the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls makes recommendations for immediate action, many of which were set out in previous reports.
“Minister of Indigenous-Crown Relations and Northern Affairs Carolyn Bennett has said repeatedly that the federal government wouldn’t wait for the Inquiry’s final report before addressing well-known gaps in protections and support for Indigenous women and girls,” said Alex Neve, Secretary-General of Amnesty International Canada. “The government must keep this promise. It is crucial that the government’s response to the Interim report clearly sets out what the government is committed to do and when.”
The interim report calls on the federal government to:
Build on the findings of previous studies
Take immediate action on previously identified needs
Work collaboratively to establish national action plans
Establish a national task force to review unresolved missing persons and homicides where there are concerns over the adequacy of the initial investigation.
Amnesty International stood with Indigenous women’s organizations and families of missing and murdered women and girls in calling for both a national inquiry and a concrete, comprehensive national plan of action to end all forms of violence against women, girls and two-spirit people.
Amnesty International will be reviewing the interim report carefully, in collaboration with allies and partners, and will offer further comment at a later date.
Amnesty International has been granted standing as a party to the National Inquiry. Amnesty International recognizes the deep impact of the process for many affected families, and the importance of an Inquiry process that is respectful and effective. We continue to closely follow the National Inquiry’s progress.
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Contact: Jacob Kuehn, Press Officer, Amnesty International; (w) +1-613-744-7667×236; (c) +1-613-853-2142; jkuehn@amnesty.ca
