A United Nations committee is recommending Canada take measures to prevent and criminalize the involuntary sterilization of women. Assembly of First Nations National Chief Perry Bellegarde is backing the recommendation, saying he wants changes to the Criminal Code of Canada to make involuntary sterilization of First Nations women a criminal offence. The UN Committee Against Torture has been examining reports of forced or coerced sterilization of Indigenous women in Canada dating back to the 1970s and including recent cases in Saskatchewan. Bellegarde said he wants a collaborative approach with the inclusion of Indigenous women to help implement the UN's recommendations. "The coerced sterilization of Indigenous women is a serious violation of human rights and it is completely unacceptable," he said.

Source: CBC News December 07, 2018 21:01 UTC