Last March, Bill C 484, the Unborn Victims of Crime Act, passed second reading in the House of Commons. This bill seeks to amend the Criminal Code and to create a separate offence for causing the injury or death of an “unborn child” when a pregnant woman is the victim of a crime. This would mean that the murderer of a pregnant woman could be accused of a second murder, that of the foetus.

Mobolize, Network, Energize, and Deepend the Roots of the Young Feminist Movement Across Canada!

Shout out! A project featuring young women’s views on human rights

Congratulations to the five young dynamic women from across Canada who have been chosen to be part of the Shout Out! Team.

Québec Native Women (QNW) is organizing a peaceful protest to urge the Canadian Government to change its current opposition to the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and vote in favor of the Declaration on Sept 13th at the next session of the UN General Assembly. The UN Human Rights Council passed the Declaration in June 2006.

A petition is being circulated across Québec by the Bloc Québécois,
calling on the Prime Minister to honour his commitment to uphold women’s human rights by: 1/immediately re-establishing the Court Challenges Program; 2/re-instating the previous criteria for the Women’s Program; and 3/re-opening the twelve regional Status of Women offices that closed on March 31.

The Nobel Women’s Initiative was established in 2006 by six female Nobel Peace Laureates, representing North and South America, Europe, the Middle East and Africa. Bringing together their personal experiences in a united effort for peace with justice and equality they seek to help strengthen work being done in support of women’s rights around the world - work often carried out in the shadows with little recognition.

NWI is currently focusing on women’s rights in Iran. To date, at least 11 women’s rights activists have been summoned by the Revolutionary Court, and another 50 cases are pending. On April 23 two more women’s rights activists were sentenced to prison, reportedly charged with “gathering and colluding to disturb national security,” “disturbing public order” and “disobeying the orders of officials.”

One of the most important leaders of the women’s movement in Canada, Doris Anderson passed away recently at age 85. Join us in remembering the strides she made for all of us in Canada, especially women and girls.

“Step it Up!” is our message from women to the Province of Ontario. We want better, faster government action to end violence against women.

On April 3, 2007, Quebec-based women’s group Afeas marks Invisible Work Day. This day of public awareness-raising was instituted in 2001 to make visible women’s unpaid invisible work in the family, raising children, and caring for intimates who are ill, disabled or frail.

To date, Afeas members have collected over 20,000 signed support cards, and 1170 signatures on their online petition in Quebec.

On Tuesday, March 13th , the Canadian Voice of Women for Peace, in conjunction with Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada, launched The Building Peace, Making History Exhibit - a traveling exhibit in Ottawa.