Tanya Talaga, Toronto Star.
The UN has initiated an “inquiry procedure” regarding the missing [600+ over the last 20 years] women.
In a statement released Dec. 16, 2011, it said if it receives “reliable information indicating grave or systematic (rights) violations, then it will invite the state to examine the information it has.
The UN inquiry procedure is being handled by the committee on the elimination of discrimination of women (CEDAW), a global group of 23 experts.
The federal government told the Star that, at the moment, no official inquiry has started. The UN is trying to figure out if they should proceed with an inquiry.
But Canada has been informed the matter will be discussed by the UN at the next session, which begins on Feb. 13, according to a foreign affairs department spokesperson.
Canada has been asked to submit all relevant information to the UN.
I agree with what Laurie Odjick, the mother of one of the missing children, asks later in the piece:
“Way before Maisy went missing this was happening. Why now? Is it because of the spotlight? I believe we’ve been treated differently, from the media, by everybody.”
A few months after Maisy went missing, so did Brandon Crisp, a 15-year-old Barrie boy who ran away because his parents took his Xbox video console.
The community and police came together even though Crisp was deemed a runaway. He was found dead three weeks later.
“My daughter was also called a runaway from the beginning and we didn’t get a minuscule of the attention the boy did,” she says. “All we want is answers.”
A UN inquiry can’t help with justice for hundreds of Canadian families, she says.
“Are they actually going to come and meet with us? Sit down and ask us what happened?” she asks.
However, I still find it—exciting is not the right word—but I am glad that this is happening. I am deeply sorrowful that these disappearances have never been adequately addressed before now, when the issue’s been going on as long as it has.
But I am glad this investigation is happening. It’s, at the very least, something.
