Submission to the OHCHR on Police Violence and Racism in Canada

Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights is a national organization committed to advancing and upholding sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) in Canada and globally. Action Canada works to increase access to SRHR information and services, inform governmental and non-governmental actors for the advancement of sexual and reproductive rights, and support movements to advance a broad and intersectional SRHR agenda.

Action Canada’s work is guided by the concept of reproductive justice based in human rights, universality, and inclusivity. We are grateful for and celebrate the leadership and revolutionary visions of Black, Indigenous, and racialized women, trans, and non-binary people who have created the theory and framework that continues to inform, challenge, and guide us. Following in the footsteps of reproductive justice advocates, we recognize that racialized systems of oppression cannot be separated from sexualized and gendered systems of oppression nor from neoliberal economic systems. 

We welcomed the original resolution on racism and police violence as an important but incomplete step as the Human Rights Council begins to address this critical issue. In the next phase of this work, especially through the OHCHR report, the Council must apply a reproductive justice analysis in order to address this issue in all its complexity, including understanding the importance of the right to parent in safety, the impact on trans and cis-gender women, the connections with other systems of state power, and the danger of over-criminalization.

Download the PDF to read the full submission. 

Posted on 2020-12-08
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