CEDAW/C/CAN/CO/8-9
distribution of intimate images, but fails to cover all situations that were previously
covered by section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act.
25.
Recalling its general recommendation No. 19 (1992) on violence against
women, the Committee recommends that the State party:
(a)
Enhance its efforts to firmly combat all forms of gender-based violence
against women, including domestic and sexual violence, paying particular attention
to minority and indigenous women;
(b)
Increase reporting by women of incidents of violence, including
domestic violence, to law enforcement bodies by de-stigmatizing victims, provide
capacity-building programmes and cultural training regarding aboriginal women
for judges, prosecutors, police officers and other law enforcement officials on the
strict application of criminal law provisions on violence against women and raise
awareness among the general public of the criminal nature of such acts;
(c)
Effectively enforce its criminal legislation at the federal, provincial and
territorial levels, and ensure that all cases of violence against women are thoroughly
and effectively investigated and that perpetrators are prosecuted and adequately
punished;
(d)
Expeditiously adopt a national action plan, in consultation with civil
society organizations, especially aboriginal women’s organizations, to combat
gender-based violence against women and ensure that adequate human, technical
and financial resources are allocated for its implementation, monitoring and
assessment;
(e)
Strengthen services for women victims of gender-based violence,
including by establishing shelters throughout the territory of the State party and
ensuring the availability of psychosocial rehabilitation and reintegration
programmes;
(f)
Systematically collect data on all forms of gender-based violence
against women, disaggregated by sex, age, ethnic groups, including aboriginal
women, and the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator, as well as on
protection orders, prosecutions and sentences imposed on perpetrators;
(g)
Review and amend legislation in order to provide an adequate civil
remedy to victims of cyber violence and reintroduce section 13 of the Canadian
Human Rights Act.
Murdered and missing indigenous women and girls
26.
The Committee commends the State party’s decision in 2015 to establish a
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, which was
one of the main recommendations of the Committee’s inquiry cond ucted in 2013
(CEDAW/C/OP.8/CAN/1). However, it is concerned about:
(a)
The absence of any action plan or coordinated mechanism to oversee the
implementation of the outstanding 37 recommendations issued by the Committee in 2015
(CEDAW/C/OP.8/CAN/1, paras. 216-220);
(b)
The insufficient measures taken to ensure that all cases of missing and
murdered indigenous women are duly investigated and prosecuted;
(c)
The Terms of Reference of the national inquiry, which do not clearly
require the application of a human rights based approach as called upon by the Canadian
Human Rights Commission and which does not include any explicit mandate to review
policing policies and practices and the criminal justice system, and does not provide any
7