In this episode students focus on human trafficking in Canada, exploring how women are suppressed emotionally, spiritually, and physically which can inhibit them from reaching out for help, and from speaking up on their issues and experiences. Students explore how Indigenous women don't feel comfortable coming forward due to authority and distrust within prosecution and feel fearful or ashamed due to it being taboo. The main goal is to give publicity to this issue, and bring awareness to how colonial institutions within Canada neglect Indigenous women and girls leading them into unsafe situations. Unstable unaffordable housing, child welfare system, racism with the justice/penal system.
References:
Meaningful and Personal Reports: Sierra and Heidi Marshall
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/human-
trafficking-ontario-indigenous-akwesasne-survivor-2023-1.6760973
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/indigenous-women-trafficking-sexual-exploitatio
n-1.6373597
Reports identified that sex labor trafficking are the most common forms of human trafficking in
Canada
https://www.canadiancentretoendhumantrafficking.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/ENG-Hu
man-Trafficking-Trends-in-Canada-%E2%80%93-2019-20-Report-Final-1.pdf
Indigenous women and girls; migrants and new immigrants; 2SLGBTQI+ persons; children and
youth in the child welfare system; those who are socially or economically disadvantaged: and
factors such as
language barriers, working in isolated/remote areas, lack of access to services and support
Indigenous women are disproportionately affected by racialized violence in Canada through
exposure to both historic and ongoing gender discrimination
https://www.ourcommons.ca/Content/Committee/421/JUST/Brief/BR10002955/br-external/
NativeWomensAssociationOfCanada-e.pdf
Quote: “Trafficking in person, also known as human trafficking, is often described as a
modern-day form
of slavery that is thought to affect every country worldwide either as a point or origin or
destination”
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2022001/article/00010-eng.htm
https://bright.uvic.ca/d2l/le/content/308201/viewContent/2428290/View
https://bright.uvic.ca/d2l/le/content/308201/topics/files/download/2428289/DirectFileTopicDo
wnload
Page 264 (paragraph 2) and page 267 (paragraph 1)
https://bright.uvic.ca/d2l/le/content/308201/viewContent/2428291/View
Summary of the episode:
In this episode, students discuss Thailand as an example of how sex workers are treated in the global south. They compare Thailand’s illegal sex work industry to Canada’s, which operates under the Nordic model. We present jarring facts and statistics about the Thai sex industry, like the fact that the Thai sex industry contributes to an estimated 10%-12% of Thailand’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) (Garrick, 2005). We will take an intersectional feminist approach to discuss different types of sex work protection and how their implementation creates a safer work environment for sex workers. The UN does recommend the nordic model in order to protect sex workers human rights and we will discuss how it would change the sex work industry in Thailand. The sex work industry is inherently gendered; therefore, we are taking a feminist and gender approach in order to fully understand the complexities of the industry. We will also take a decolonial approach to the history of the Thai sex industry to fully comprehend the impacts of the global North imperial project on Thailand.
Further materials to be explored on this topic:
If our audience wishes to learn more about Thailand’s sex industry after listening to our
podcast, our group has found several interesting resources to recommend. First, we recommend Miss Bangkok: Memoirs of a Thai Prostitute by Bua Boonmee and Nicola Pierce. This is about the author's experience of being a Thai sex worker. In addition, we recommend listening to the podcast episode “Exploring Thailand’s Sex Industry” from Sex with Strangers. This episode includes interviews from Thai sex workers as well as interviews from the EMPOWER Foundation, an organization in Thailand dedicated to the education of sex workers and the empowerment of sex workers. Finally, we recommend watching “The Third Gender”, which is a documentary available on YouTube that explores Thailand’s transgender sex workers, which is an important topic that we were unable to discuss in depth.
Sources:
The Prostitution Problem: C. Benoit, M. Smith, M. Jansson, P. Heally, and D. Magnuson (article)
Thailand's sex worker petition to decriminalize prostitution (article)
UN Statement to Thailand (2018)
Decriminalize Sex Work - Debunking the Nordic Model (article)
Decriminalize Sex Work - Why Decriminalize (article)
Decriminalization vs. Legalization; L. Shrage (article)
Why Not Amend CEDAW: L. Baldez (article)
Global Network of Sex Work Projects: Guide to CEDAW (article)
Amnesty International publishes policy and research on protection of sex workers' rights (article)
Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the Exploitation of the
Prostitution of Others (1949)
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979)
Convention for the Suppression of the Trafficking in Persons and of the Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others (1950)
Brown, G. D. A., Lewandowsky, S., & Huang, Z. (2022). Social sampling and expressed attitudes:
Authenticity preference and social extremeness aversion lead to social norm effects and
polarization. Psychological Review, 129(1), 18–48.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1037/rev0000342.supp (Supplemental)
ExodusCryKC. (2020, March 13). Prostitution in Thailand | nefarious documentary clip. YouTube.
Retrieved November 22, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIJ9dxtiv3g
Jamnarnwej, W. (n.d.). Family law of Thailand. Thailand Law Forum: Family law of Thailand.
Retrieved November 23, 2022, from http://thailawforum.com/articles/familywimol2.html
OUYYANONT, P. (2012). Underdevelopment and Industrialisation in Pre-War Thailand. Australian
Economic History Review, 52(1), 43–60.
https://doi-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/10.1111/j.1467-8446.2012.00340.x
REYES, C. A. Z. Z. I. E. (n.d.). History of prostitution and sex trafficking in Thailand. End Slavery
Now. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from
https://www.endslaverynow.org/blog/articles/history-of-prostitution-and-sex-trafficking-in-thailand
T. (2022, May 10). Thailand's sex industry - A brief history. Thaiger. Retrieved November 22,
2022, from https://thethaiger.com/video-podcasts/thailands-sex-industry-thaiger-stories
Thailand. Hofstede Insights. (n.d.). Retrieved November 23, 2022, from
https://www.hofstede-insights.com/country/thailand/#:~:text=With%20a%20score%20of%202
0%20Thailand%20is%20a%20highly%20collectivist%20country.
Walker, W. C. (n.d.). Contagion how the sian RISIS pread - asian development bank. Asian
Development Bank. Retrieved November 24, 2022, from
https://aric.adb.org/pdf/edrcbn/edrcbn03.pdf
Journal, T. A. P. (12AD). Military prostitution and the U.S. military in Asia. The Asia-Pacific
Journal: Japan Focus. Retrieved November 23, 2022, from
https://apjjf.org/-Katharine-H.S.-Moon/3019/article.html
PGTVPhuket. (2022, May 10). Thailand's sex industry - A brief history. YouTube. Retrieved
November 23, 2022, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lzp145ImERM
U.S. Department of State. (2022, July 9). The United States...
This podcast discusses gender-based violence against women in war-time, using the war in Ethiopia as an example. On 4 November 2020, war erupted in the Tigray, the war in Tigray resulted in a massive humanitarian crisis. Preliminary reports have shown that Tigrayan women and girls have experienced deliberate and organized widespread war-related gender-based violence, in which some were subjected to severe violence including gang-raping, and the insertion of foreign objects to their reproductive organs. According to the report of the Human Rights Watch (HRW), 2,204 survivors sought services for sexual violence at health facilities across Tigray. More than 10 thousand women and girls were victims of gender-based violence. Gender-based violence disproportionately impacts women and girls in violent conflict. Conflict can lead to higher rates of gender-based violence, such as arbitrary executions, torture, sexual assault, and forced marriages against women and girls. Sexual violence, including using it as a weapon of war, increasingly targets women and girls as its primary targets. Conflicts and unstable conditions worsen pre-existing discrimination practices against women and girls, putting them at greater risk for human rights abuses. Increased gender-based violence is a result of the general breakdown of the rule of law, the availability of small arms, the breakdown of social and family structures, and the "normalization" of gender-based violence as an additional component of pre-existing discrimination in conflict and post-conflict zones. Following a report in March of 2021 of persistent reports of grave human rights violations in Tigray, Ethiopia, the UN called for pointed urgent action to stop violence against women in the Tigray war in December of 2021. Despite this, little action has been taken and the abuse persists. The Ethiopian human rights commission-organization of the high commissioner of human rights released a joint report on the abuses, ensuring that victims would have the full support of the Ethiopian government and perpetrators would be brought to justice, with 2,204 women reporting abuses and many more going unreported. The report described women being raped in both rural and urban areas, in places of residence and shelter for the purpose of information extraction or revenge.
This topic is linked to a history of female oppression in times of war and the fight against this, from the implementation of the Universal declaration of human rights following world war II and its evolvement as well as effectiveness to the Vienna declaration. Students explore classic feminist scholarship, such as Mackinnon’s argument that perpetrators use rape and forced reproduction with the purpose of forced ethnic cleansing due to ethnic aggression, with rape as a form of genocide projected on women. The term "violence against women" means any act of gender-based violence that results in, or is likely to result in, physical, sexual, or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of such acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivation of liberty, whether occurring in public or in private life. (Article 1). There are no geographic, cultural, societal, economic, or other limitations on sexual and gender-based violence against women and girls. It is a sort of violence committed because of gender disparities. Sexual and gender-based violence associated with war has a profoundly damaging impact on society both during and after a conflict. In an armed conflict situation, women are frequently the victims of widespread acts of sexual and gender-based abuse. In other words, women and girls are disproportionately targeted in conflicts, routinely raped, threatened, sexually and physically mistreated, coerced into having unwanted pregnancies, and/or killed. Globally, war-related sexual violence and violations of human rights are still common. During a conflict woman often experience violence, forced pregnancy, abduction, sexual abuse and slavery. Although the United Nation has designated Sexual and gender-based violence as war crimes in Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the situation of women in armed conflicts has been systematically neglected. Women's rights were significantly impacted by the suppression of dissent and conflicting approaches to human rights.
References:
Fisseha, G., Gebrehiwot, T. G., Gebremichael, M. W., Wahdey, S., Meles, G. G., Gezae, K. E., Legesse, A. Y., Asgedom, A. A., Tsadik, M., Woldemichael, A., Gebreyesus, A., Abebe, H. T., Haile, Y. A., Gezahegn, S., Aregawi, M., Berhane, K. T., Godefay, H., & Mulugeta, A. (2023). War-related sexual and gender-based violence in Tigray, Northern Ethiopia: a community-based
study. BMJ Global Health, 8(7), e010270–. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2022-010270
What we do: Peace and security | UN Women – Headquarters Corradi, C., Marcuello-Servós, C., Boira, S., & Weil, S. (2016). Theories of femicide and their significance for social research. Current Sociology, 64(7), 975–995. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011392115622256
Accountability as Prevention, Ending Cycles of Sexual Violence in Conflict (Women and peace and security) - Security Council, 9016th Meeting | UN Web TV2 https://media.un.org/en/asset/k1d/k1dwkjiigx
https://www.unwomen.org/sites/default/files/Headquarters/Attachments/Sections/Library/
Publications/2013/12/UN%20Women%20EVAW-ThemBrief_US-web-Rev9%20pdf.pdf
Maphosa, R. (2021). The unreported war: tackling denialism and social stigma towards victims of armed conflict-related sexual and gender based violence. Stellenbosch Law Review, 32(1), 155–168. https://doi.org/10.47348/SLR/v32/i1a7
When looking at these statistics, one is inclined to believe that all older adults are equally likely to experience some form of elder abuse, but that is unfortunately untrue. To fully understand the affected population, one must understand that women comprise 61% of the global population of 80 and over (World Population Aging, 2019). In most countries, this percentage increases with age; for example, in Canada, women make up 52% of seniors aged 65 to 74, 56% of seniors aged 75 to 84, and 68% aged 85 or older (Kembhavi, 2020). We will examine the subject of elder abuse through an intersectional feminist lens that aims to investigate the prevalence, the policy, and the discussion surrounding this complex subject. Our group chose this topic because we personally feel that elder abuse is an issue that is overshadowed within the realm of both national and international human rights discussions. When looked at through an intersectional feminist perspective, it becomes even clearer to us that older women are disproportionately more vulnerable to different kinds of elder abuse so this problem must not be addressed with gender-neutral language. Additionally, it must be said that elder abuse is mostly seen as an “invisible” problem which shouldn’t be the case. Older people, specifically those aged 65 years old and older, just in Canada alone, constitute almost 18.5% (based from collected data as of July 2021) of the total population in the country (Statistics Canada, 2022). When researched more thoroughly, elder abuse only becomes an “invisible” problem due to the stigma attached to reporting it (i.e., ageism) or the lack or incapability of the victims themselves to report the abuse (HealthLinkBC, 2022). In this episode, we explore who is affected by elder abuse and how race, gender, socioeconomic status, and ability contribute to elder abuse
Show notes:
Additional Resources:
I Care A Lot (2020) dir. J Blakeson
The Wolf at the Door: Undue Influence and Elder Financial Abuse (book) by Michael Hackard
Music:
● Intro music by Lexin_Music from Pixabay
● Music by YVHNII from Pixabay
● Music by NaturesEye from Pixabay
Bibliography:
Dumont-Smith, C. (2002). Aboriginal elder abuse in Canada. Canadian Electronic Library, 1-15.
https://canadacommons-ca.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/artifacts/1218548/aboriginal-elder-abu
se-in-canada/1771628/ on 06 Oct 2022. CID: 20.500.12592/357h3r.
Elder Abuse - Introduction. (n.d.). Advocacy Center for the Elderly.
http://www.advocacycentreelderly.org/elder_abuse_-_introduction.php
HealthLink BC (2022, February). Abuse and Neglect of Older Adults: Understanding Gender
Differences. Retrieved from
https://www.healthlinkbc.ca/healthlinkbc-files/abuse-and-neglect-older-adults-understand
ing-gender-differences.
Kembhavi, R. (2012, November). Research note – Canadian seniors: A demographic profile.
Elections Canada.
https://www.elections.ca/content.aspx?section=res&dir=rec%2Fpart%2Fsen&document=
index&lang=e.
Lewis, H. (1998). Global intersections: critical race feminist human rights and inter/national
black women. Maine Law Review, 50(2), 309–326.
Felton, J., & Owczarzak, B. (2022, October 4). Sheriff: Woman covered in feces; caregiver
charged with elder abuse. Fox5 Vegas.
https://www.fox5vegas.com/2022/10/04/sheriff-woman-covered-feces-caregiver-chargedwith-
elder-abuse/.
Fast Facts: Preventing Elder Abuse |Violence Prevention|Injury Center. (2021, June 2). CDC.
https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/elderabuse/fastfact.html
Reilly, N. (2019). Women, gender, and international human rights: Overview. In International
Human Rights of Women (pp. 1–18). Springer Singapore.
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8905-3_23.
7
Statistics Canada. (2022). Older adults and population aging statistics. Retrieved from
https://www.statcan.gc.ca/en/subjects-start/older_adults_and_population_aging.
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2010, December 16). General
recommendation no. 27 on older women and protection of their human rights. OHCHR.
Retrieved October 10, 2022, from
https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/general-comments-and-recommendations/general-re
commendation-no-27-older-women-and.
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2021, June 30). OHCHR and
older persons. OHCHR. Retrieved from https://www.ohchr.org/en/older-persons.
United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner. (2022, June 14). UN experts
urge states to address violence, abuse and neglect of older women. OHCHR. Retrieved
from
https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/06/un-experts-urge-states-address-violence
-abuse-and-neglect-older-women.
UN convention on the rights of older people: It's time for action. (n.d.). HelpAge International.
Retrieved from https://www.helpage.org/what-we-do/un-convention/.
UNDESA. (n.d.). Twelfth Session of the United Nations Open-ended Working Group on
strengthening the protection of the human rights of older persons. The Division for
Inclusive Social Development (DISD) is part of the Department of Economic and Social
Affairs (DESA) of the United Nations Secretariat. Retrieved from
https://social.un.org/ageing-working-group/twelfthsession.shtml.
United Nations Principles for Older Persons. (n.d.). OHCHR. Retrieved from
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/united-nations-principlesolde
r-
persons.
World Health Organization. (2022, June). Abuse of older people. Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/abuse-of-older-people.
8
World Population Aging 2019: Highlights. (2019). the United Nations.
https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/publications/pdf/ageing/WorldPopul
ationAgeing2019-Highlights.pdf
This podcasts presents an overview on violence against women. Considering it a deeply concerning issue around the world and the ubiquity of this issue strengthens the need to research the ways in which women are not being protected. Many women experience violence daily and at many different levels. The laws and policies that are intended to protect women from violence may inadvertently perpetuate the problem by insufficient enforcement, lack of support, or not holding perpetrators accountable thereby ignoring the responsibility to keep women safe.
Although many governments and organizations have taken large steps to address this issue, there are many ways that policies and laws can indirectly perpetuate violence against women such as, a lack of legal protection, discriminatory family laws, access to safe resources, and immigration policies. These factors are further discussed in depth in the podcast. Students define violence against women as including physical, sexual, physiological, reproductive, and financial abuse. We will explain how and why certain policies/laws can perpetuate violence against women.
In this episode, students delve into the complex relationship between film and human
rights. The conversation explores how films have been used as a medium to convey and
conceptualize stories related to human rights, shedding light on issues, injustices, violence, and
violations. Students examine the power of film to connect and empathize with individuals
whose human rights have been violated and to critically assess the strengths and weaknesses of
this approach.
References:
Specific Film Examples:
‘The Whistleblower” (2010)
‘Selma’ (2014)
‘On the Basis of Sex’ (2018
Snowpiercer (2014)
The Swimmers (2022) **
Schindler’s List (1993)
Hotel Rwanda (2004) **
Triangle of Sadness (2022)
Persepolis (2007)
Beasts of No Nation (2015)
A Woman in Berlin (2008)
Letters from Iwo Jima (2006)
The Life and Death of Marsha P Johnson (2017) doc
Gandhi (1982)
The Hunting Ground (2015) American doc
Localized sexual violence (university campuses)
13th (2016) American doc **
Scholarly Support:
- Nash, Kate. 2022. Knowing through human rights films. Human Rights Quarterly, 44(1),
pp.193-209. ISSN 0275-0392 [Article]
- Tascon, S. (2012). Considering Human Rights Films, Representation, and Ethics: Whose Face?
Human Rights Quarterly, 34(4), 864-883. © 2012 by The Johns Hopkins University Press.
- Michelle Brown, Nicole Rafter, Genocide Films, Public Criminology, Collective Memory, The
British Journal of Criminology, Volume 53, Issue 6, November 2013, Pages
1017–1032,https://doi.org/10.1093/bjc/azt043
- Derrick Alan Everett, Public Narratives + Reparations in Rwanda: On the Potential of Film as
Promoter of International Human Rights + Reconciliation, 7 Nw. J. Int'l Hum. Rts. 103
(2009).http://scholarlycommons.law.northwestern.edu/njihr/vol7/iss1/4
- Stoddard, J., Marcus, A. S., & Hicks, D. (2017). Teaching difficult history through film. Taylor &
Francis.
- Hamblin, S. (2016). The Form and Content of Human Rights Film. The Radical Teacher, (104),
38-47.
- Swimelar, S. (2014). Making human rights visible through photography and film. The SAGE.
Handbook of Human Rights: Two Volume Set, 413.
The overarching subject of this podcast is gender inequality in the United Arab Emirates
(UAE), focusing on the question: to what extent can gender inequality organizations function in
places of extreme inequality? We chose the United Arab Emirates specifically due to our close
connection with someone who lives there. All of our group members are living in Canada where
gender equality is more prevalent and widespread than in the Middle East. It is sometimes
challenging to understand what other people in the world, specifically those in the UAE, face
and the different challenges that they encounter daily.
Women in the UAE face challenges in many aspects of their lives; gender inequality is
multifaceted. Gender biases can hinder a woman’s career progression, and present her with
barriers in accessing decision-making roles. Laws and regulations also restrict women’s
autonomy. Often, women need a male guardian or male consent when making decisions such as
marriage. Domestic abuse is also an on-going concern. Women who experience abuse may find
challenge seeking help due to legal barriers, social stigmatization and lack of comprehensive
support systems.
This podcast discusses the gender inequality landscape in the UAE, including the cultural and
historical factors that have created it. We will discuss the UAE’s legal framework as it is a major
influence on discrimination against women. Gender inequality is a pervasive global issue that
affects the social, economic and political lives of individuals, the UAE sheds light on how
inequality manifests in different societies and throughout different cultures. This podcast looks
to provide awareness and education about the laws and the deep-rooted history that has
created the discrimination that women in the UAE experience throughout their lives, and how
this affects those advocating for change.
This topic has been chosen to broaden our understanding of the feminist movement and the
shape that it takes in countries where gender inequality is far more prevalent than what we
experience day-to-day in Canada. We have chosen to examine the United Arab Emirates, both
for its low ranking in gender equality, as well as for our personal connection to people living in
the UAE. Students ground their analysis in a non-Eurocentric perspective that approaches the
material within the cultural and social context of the UAE. In evaluating the UAE’s response to
CEDAW using feminist theory, Students argue that much of this inequality comes from
legislation that is inherently discriminatory to women. To explore and evaluate this statement,
students dissected specific articles that, even after amendment in response to CEDAW, continue
to discriminate against women.
Technology is more prevalent today than it has ever been (Heo et al., 2021). With the
current COVID-19 pandemic, technology itself has progressed at such an extensive rate around
schools, work, and almost all methods of communications transitioning to be online (Heo et al.,
2021). Because of this technological reformation into our everyday lives, it is easy to assume
that everyone has had experience with, and (at least) some limited knowledge of, computers.
Using this assumption, we first connect our larger idea of Artificial Intelligence to the more
simplistic everyday use of technology, such as one’s smartphone or computer. We also offer a
short definition of machine learning while, additionally, expressing the various means through
which complex algorithms can be adapted to process and analyze human data beyond that
which we may have seen on our smartphones.
Due to the pandemic restrictions, University students have become increasingly familiar with chat rooms, take for example, one of the most
popular apps, Discord. Along with many other social media platforms, Discord has become
highly valued by university students as a way to connect with other students in the same
university, faculty, and classes, even when not physically together. However, when discussing
technology, it is easy to go down a dark path with a seemingly unlimited amount of
misinformation. Therefore, we emphasize that it is highly advised to take the information that
we are providing and complement such sources with your own research. Overall, it is vital to
check where you source information from, especially, concerning technology. Moreover, pay
close attention to those sponsoring the research, the background of the institution conducting
the research and, lastly, approach such resources with an objective mind.
Content Warning: This episode contains content that may be alarming to some listeners. We
touch on various examples of violence against women in the context of artificial intelligence.
Please take care of yourself.
References
Facebook and the engagement based model
● New York Times, Rabbit Hole, podcast about the mental health dangers of the
engagement based model, and online radicalization:
https://www.nytimes.com/column/rabbit-hole
● Center for Humane Technology: https://www.humanetech.com/
● Your Undivided Attention podcast: https://www.humanetech.com/podcast
● Facebook’s engagement method - Predicting Consumers Engagement on Facebook
Based on What and How Companies Write. Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems,
39(2), 2365–2377. https://doi.org/10.3233/JIFS-179897
● COVID’s impact in technology – Enhancing learning engagement during COVID‐19
pandemic: Self‐efficacy in time management, technology use, and online learning
environments. Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, 37(6), 1640–1652.
https://doi.org/10.1111/jcal.12603
Myanmar conflict
● Facebook’s actions on Myanmar:
https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2022/09/myanmar-facebooks-systems-
promoted-violence-against-rohingya-meta-owes-reparations-new-report/
Oppressive ai framework
● Notmy.ai Oppressive Ai Framework:
https://notmy.ai/news/oppressive-a-i-feminist-categories-to-understand-its-politic
al-effects/
● Notmy.ai Latin America mapping project: https://notmy.ai/mapping-of-projects/
● Racist chatbots:
https://mashable.com/article/meta-facebook-ai-chatbot-racism-donald-trump
● The Good Robot podcast Cambridge site:
https://www.gender.cam.ac.uk/technology-gender-and-intersectionality-research-
project/the-good-robot-podcast
● The Good Robot, Catherine Dignazio on Data Feminism:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/catherine-dignazio-on-data-feminism/id1
570237963?i=1000524618296
https://open.spotify.com/episode/0l4la6AFwZFISvXJVDUNwZ?si=lPEBWeOLTVGUh
3Fis-MceQ
● Radical AI, Feminist AI 101 with Elenor Drage and Kerry Mackereth (hosts of The
Good Robot Podcast):
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/feminist-ai-101-with-eleanor-drage-and-k
erry-mackereth/id1505229145?i=1000523884460
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2VBJ2xKzvRFEDli3QHIaK5?si=gCnKPJAyTZWaLxq
Tb_PXiQ
● Radical AI episode Resistance Against the Tech to Prison Pipeline with the Coalition
for Critical Technology:
https://open.spotify.com/episode/5sRw1LiT77i5iKWjK2I79k?si=Y_EcwSalQZOlugJr
prhEXw
● How algorithmic policing is used in Canada today:
https://citizenlab.ca/2020/09/algorithmic-policing-in-canada-explained/
● MIT Tech Review podcast, In Machines We Trust, Who Watches AI Watching
Students:
https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/06/29/1057103/podcast-who-watches-
ai-watching-students/
Feminist app Mumkin
● Mumkin website, links to other media: https://www.mumkinapp.com/media
● The Good Robot, Feminist App Design with Priya Goswami:
https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/priya-goswami-on-feminist-app-design/id
1570237963?i=1000523813215
https://open.spotify.com/episode/6KOs7udAs85Myj6HooLTbd?si=z1YSGzl3Qc6Xiu
M7Um182A
International legal solutions
● United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
https://www.un.org/en/about-us/universal-declaration-of-human-rights
● The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
and Girls (1979)
https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/ProfessionalInterest/cedaw
● The United ...
Our podcast's central focus is on Indigenous women's rights and the pervasive issue of gender-based violence. We specifically concentrate on combating violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada and how these endeavors intersect with international law and policies. Despite the existence of international human rights laws and conventions, including the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Vienna Declaration, and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, there are significant challenges and gaps in ensuring the protection of Indigenous women's rights and the eradication of gender-based violence. The devastating consequences stemming from these challenges demand immediate attention and action. Concerted efforts must be made to address these issues comprehensively and effectively.
Gender-based violence against Indigenous women and girls is universal, and addressing it needs to be a priority. Vulnerable people and communities need to be protected, and government/officials need to be held accountable. As mentioned earlier, Canada has signed various conventions and treaties. The ongoing violence directed at Indigenous women; indicates they have not followed through on upholding these. As a first world country, this demonstrates to others that this is not a priority and lays a foundation for other countries that they can continue to neglect human rights. By raising awareness, we hope to encourage others to push for action, demand change, and support initiatives that promote gender equality and protect marginalized communities.
References
Buffie, N. (2023, September 17). ‘Search the landfill’ protests planned across Canada for Monday. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/9967221/search-the-landfill-protests-planned-canada/
CBC News. (2018, September 26). Missing and Murdered: The Unsolved Cases of Indigenous Women and Girls. https://www.cbc.ca/missingandmurdered/
McDiarmid, J. (2019). Highway of Tears: A true story of racism, indifference and the pursuit of justice for missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. Doubleday Canada. https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/548115/highway-of-tears-by-jessica-mcdiarmid/9
780385687584
Meeches, L., Irving, K., Gibson, R. (Executive Producers). (2016-2019). Taken [TV Docu-series]. Eagle Vision; CBC Gem. https://gem.cbc.ca/taken
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. (2007). United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). UN General Assembly, A/RES/71/32. https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/Documents/Issues/IPeoples/UNDRIPManualForNHRIs.pdf
Smiley, M. (Director). (2015). Highway of Tears. [Film] Finesse Films & Paracas Independent
Films. https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2175928/?ref_=adv_li_tt
Snyder, E., Napoleon, V., & Borrows, J. (2015). Gender and Violence: Drawing on Indigenous Legal Resources. U.B.C Law Review, 48(2) 593-654.
The World Conference on Human Rights Vienna. (1993). Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action. UN General Assembly, A/CONF.157/23.
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/vienna-declaration-and-programme-action
Tsosie, R. (2010). "Indigenous Women and International Human Rights Law: The Challenges of Colonialism, Cultural Survival, and Self-Determination.” UCLA Journal of International Law and Foreign Affairs, 15(1), 187-238.
United Nations General Assembly. (1979). Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 1249, 1-10. https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/convention-elimination-all-forms-discrimination-against-women
This podcast explores how Indigenous women have and still are having their rights violated and how these violations are not being addressed by the colonial government. The fact that the rights of Indigenous women come second to human rights, and how they are treated like “add ons.” We hope to provide information and discuss resources to inform people about not only the issue but how to get involved in meaningful ways that support Indigenous women and their rights. We discuss the importance of using a gendered lens in order to see the whole scope of the issues surrounding violence against Indigneous women in Canada.
Some topics our group debates involve man camps for pipeline projects currently taking place in Indigenous communities. Man camps create a violent space for Indigenous women because of the increased number of attacks in the locations where the camps are set up. The colonial Canadian government has plans to expand pipeline projects which inevitably leads to an increase in man camps in and around Indigenous peoples land and thus leads to an increase in violent attacks on Indigenous women in those areas. Framing the relevance to the fact that capitalism is more important than Indigenous Women in the colonial mind. We also talk about The Red Dress Movement as a statement of bringing awareness to the violence on Indigenous women's bodies and we will therefore expand on ideas surrounding that movement. We will also discuss the ever-growing number of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls along a stretch of highway in British Columbia known as the highway of tears in relation to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Report (MMIGW+2S). Our group will also explore the topic as it relates to the ongoing work on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission 94 Calls to Action, and the fact that only a few of the recommendations have been put into place and practice.
References
Johnstone, R. (2006). Feminist Influences on the United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies. Human Rights Quarterly, 28(1), 148–185. https://doi.org/10.1353/hrq.2006.0005
Kuokkanen, R. (2012). Self-Determination and Indigenous Women's Rights at the Intersection of International Human Rights. Human Rights Quarterly: A Comparative and International Journal of Social Sciences, Humanities, and Law. 34(1), 225-250. https://heinonline.org/HOL/Page?handle=hein.journals/hurq34&id=1&collection=journals&index=#
National Inquiry Into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. (2019, May 29). Final report. MMIWG. Retrieved September 28, 2022, from https://www.mmiwgffada.ca/final-report/ Reilly, N. (2019). Women, Gender, and International Human Rights: Overview. In International
Human Rights of Women (pp. 1–18). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-8905-3_23
Zwingel, S. (2013). International Feminist Strategies: Strengths and Challenges of the Rights-Based Approach. Politics & Gender, 9(3), 344–351.
https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X13000226
We have chosen the topic of gender violence as a human rights issue because it is widespread and global. We are interested in discussing gender violence from a theoretical feminist lens to capture the complexity and intersectionality involved in gender violence as a human rights issue in a way that other theoretical perspectives cannot. As MacKinnon states, “what happens to women is either too particular to be universal or too universal to be particular, meaning either too human to be female or too female to be human” (Mackinnon, p.142), which showcases the importance of centering gender violence as a human rights issue. We believe it is important to bring attention to the frequent and detrimental impacts of gender violence to bring awareness to an issue that impacts half the global population.
Historically, international human rights documents and policies have failed to acknowledge the rights and needs of women and non-binary identities. While significant progress has been made and international committees such as CEDAW are contributing to the diversification of international human rights, a disparity remains between international human rights and the people they claim to represent. Among many other experiences specific to women and non-binary identities, gender violence and the inequalities that perpetuate this type of violence lack representation within international instruments. From a gender perspective, we can understand the pressing issue of gendered violence occurring both nationally and internationally and identify the connection between gender inequality and gender violence and how they create, uphold, and perpetuate each other. In our podcast discussions, we argue that the reality and effects of gender violence must be centered on the formation of women’s international human rights and must remain relevant within international instruments to create a foundation for reports of violence to be made effectively. Our discussion of international human rights from a gender perspective aims to emphasize the connection between gender violence and human rights and how they should not be separated, as well as the need for policy and protection against gender violence in both the public and private sectors of life. To deepen and make our conversation more concrete, we discuss the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) in Canada as our. Indigenous women and girls in Canada are more likely to experience violence, rape, and murder than non-Indigenous women (Statistics Canada, 2022). The MMIWG is a current example of gender violence that is occurring in Canada. We bring more awareness to MMIWG as well as tie the concepts of gender violence together through this ongoing and current case study.
References
Canadian Women’s Foundation Podcast. (2020-2022). Alright, Now What?
https://canadianwomen.org/podcast/
MacKinnon, C.A., (2007). Crimes of war and crimes of peace. Are woman human? And other international dialogues. United States of America: Harvard University Press.
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. (2019). Reclaiming
Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/final-report/
TEDx talks. (July 18, 2016). We are more than murdered and missing. Tamara Bernard.
TEDxThunderBay. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fylLSRQ5kx8
United Nations Human Rights. (2022). What Are Human Rights? United Nations Human Rights
Office of the High Commissioner. https://www.ohchr.org/en/what-are-human-rights
Zwingel, Susanne (2013). "International Feminist Strategies: Strengths and Challenges of the
Rights-Based Approach." Politics & Gender, 9: 344-351.
https://www-cambridge-org.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/core/journals/politics-and-gender/article/in
ternational-feminist-strategies-strengths-and-challenges-of-the-rightsbased-approach/B251B7B
F19E8045AAC3E6CF542E31CCA
Often language employed within universal laws are inaccessible to the public and can only be understood by those retaining a high level of selective education, which is often privatized. Hence, the ability to comprehend human rights treaties becomes limited, rights become
unrecognized to the general public, and the knowledge of individual rights remains undisclosed. Subsequently, wrongdoings committed by the state can easily be exonerated, due to the transgressions remaining shrouded.
The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (UN, 1948) is a central document in international human rights that provides the language to define genocide globally – or at least within its signatory countries. In 1952, Canada
ratified the convention and has since integrated its own definition of genocide within its criminal code (UN Treaty, n.d.). The definition found in the Canadian criminal code is notably influenced by the one offered by the UN (1948) but is surprisingly excluding important aspects –
points (b), (d), and (e) – of the latter cited below:
In the present Convention, genocide means any of the following acts committed with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnical, racial or religious group, as such:
(a) Killing members of the group;
(b) Causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
(c) Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about
its physical destruction in whole or in part;
(d) Imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group;
(e) Forcibly transferring children of the group to another group. (p.1)
In this podcast, we explore how language inclusions and exclusions within legal documentation influences how a country addresses internal issues. More specifically, how has the omission of these three definitions of genocide influenced Canada, its judicial system, and its cultural and national’s reaction to incidents of violence within the country? We believe language and culture are tightly intertwined. Therefore, it is interesting to consider how this linguistic exclusion relates to Canada’s image on the international stage as a peacekeeping nation with a cultural ‘mosaic’, a nation that promotes and accepts multiculturalism (Dorn, 2005; Viau, 2018). In our discussion, we address the impact of this decision on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, including the coercive sterilization of Indigenous women and the Missing and
Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Was this omission a way for Canada to abdicate itself from legal guilt? Additionally, could this linguistic exclusion have an impact on the State’s reaction or inaction to other violent acts such as the implementation of pipelines, national access to abortion clinics, and the ‘Millennial Scoop’?
References for audience
A legal analysis of genocide: Supplementary report of the National Inquiry into Missing and
Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Retrieved from
https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Supplementary-Report_Genocide.
pdf
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. (2019). Lexicon of
terminology.
https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/MMIWG_Lexicon_FINAL_ENFR.pdf
References
A legal analysis of genocide: Supplementary report of the National Inquiry into Missing and
Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Retrieved from
https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Supplementary-Report_Genocide.
pdf
Criminal code, RSC 1985, c. C - 46, § 318(2), (1985). Ottawa, ON. Retrieved from
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-46/section-318.html
Dorn, A. W. (2005). Canadian peacekeeping: Proud tradition, strong future? Canadian Foreign
Policy Journal, 12(2), 7-32. https://doi.org/10.1080/11926422.2005.9673396
Government of Canada. (n.d.). Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada. Retrieved from
https://www.rcaanc-cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1450124405592/1529106060525
MacKinnon, C. A. (2007). Are women human? And other international dialogues. Harvard
University Press.
National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. (2019). Lexicon of
terminology.
https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/MMIWG_Lexicon_FINAL_ENFR.pdf
Snyder, E., Napoleon, V., & J. Borrows. (2015). Gender and violence: Drawing on indigenous legal
resources. U.B.C. Law Review, 48(2), 593-654.
United Nations (UN). (n.d.) Treaty collection: Status of treaties. Retrieved from
https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=IND&mtdsg_no=IV-1&chapter=4&clang=_e
n
United Nations (UN). (1948). Convention on the prevention and punishment of the crime of
genocide. Treaty Series, 78, 1-4.
https://www.un.org/en/genocideprevention/documents/atrocity-crimes/Doc.1_Convention%20
on%20the%20Prevention%20and%20Punishment%20of%20the%20Crime%20of%20Genocide.p
df
United Nations (UN). (2007). United Nations declaration on the rights of Indigenous peoples.
Retrieved from
https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/wp-content/uploads/sites/19/2018
/11/UNDRIP_E_web.pdf
The World Conference on Human Rights in Vienna. (1993, June 25). Vienna Declaration and
Programme of Action. Retrieved on October 10, 2022 from
https://www.ohchr.org/en/instruments-mechanisms/instruments/vienna-declaration-and-progr
amme-action
Viau, Y. (2018). Multiculturalism: Mosaic or melting pot.
https://accultura.com/en/multiculturalism-mosaic-or-melting-pot/
In this episode, students explicitly excavate the Yogyakarta principles, looking at the barriers to Canadian and International implementation. Students use different gender perspectives on the Yogyakarta interview/conversation style to elicit authentic descriptions of experiences.
References
The Transgender Archives
https://www.uvic.ca/transgenderarchives/index.php
The Humans Rights Watch Organization
https://www.hrw.org/world-report/2016/country-chapters/africa-americas-asia-europe/
central-asia-middle-east/north-0
and
https://www.hrw.org/news/2015/10/26/nepals-third-gender-passport-blazes-trails
This episode explores how language and inclusion of LGBTQ+ terminology in human rights, and women’s rights can be expanded. The students focus on trans and gender-variant people’s rights who have been left primarily out of UN human rights discussions. There are multiple ways this topic is relevant, from student’s personal experiences and beliefs, through relevance to this course and the world stage. Students discuss why language around gender should be expanded in human rights law, specifically through discussion on what has been done in the past to increase inclusivity surrounding gender in human rights law and what more could be done going forward. This is a critical topic to touch on in light of the ongoing institutional and interpersonal violence against gender-variant people, which is often perpetuated through legislation, as we have recently seen in the US. We want to bring attention to the limits inherent in terms like ‘violence against women’ in a world where there are other oppressed gender identities - explicitly bringing attention to trans, gender-variant and intersex people. This will be done through a brief discussion on the history of gender in United Nations human rights documents, followed by a more in-depth discussion surrounding inclusive terminology, the nuances of labels and the need to avoid western-centric terminology (LGBTQ vs SOGI). Through this discussion, we hope to come up with potential actions and changes that could reasonably be applied to future human rights law documentation.
The frequent exclusion of LGBTQ+/SOGI people from human rights treaties and debates lies close to their heart. On a personal note, the heteronormative approach to human rights often categorizes them into the “women’s rights” category because they have a female body, which indirectly erases their gender identity. This combination of academic interests and real life connections and experiences has led her to have an interest in human rights outside of the white-cis-hetero standard. Student’s core argument is that a broader language of gendered violence that includes a range of trans and gender-variant people is essential to human rights discourses. These groups of people face direct and institutional violence, which stems from norms of cis heteropatriarchy and binary gender views. We need to talk about violence as gendered while recognizing that not all cases fall into the category of violence against women. For example, it is possible for violence is driven by misogyny and patriarchy to be aimed at individuals who are not women, i.e. transgender men or AFAB (assigned female at birth) non-binary people. There ought to be terminology to discuss the role of gendered oppression in the violence these groups face, without lumping it in as ‘violence against women’, since to label it as such misgenders the victims, a further disrespect added to the violence. We hope to tie this topic into the class through a similar theoretical framework by looking at human rights as a historical process where women’s rights have increased in inclusion and integration over time. This was achieved mainly due to feminist activism and pressure. Similar achievements can be made for trans and gender-variant people by connecting how language and identity inclusion can be expanded through discussion and activism.
The episode use current events to ground propose conversations on human. A primary example is the anti-LGBTQ legislation that has been advanced at the state level across the United States. Trans athletes, bathrooms, youth access to hormone therapy, and other panics currently occupy the consciousness of Republican politicians, as evidenced by the number of bills predicated on those ‘issues’ in state governments (Legislation affection LGBTQ rights, n.d.). In light of such political trends, with the US’ situation as an example, it is essential to have the vocabulary to assert trans and gender-variant people’s rights as an essential pillar of human rights. Trans people also face more direct interpersonal violence, and we can make this more immediate to the listener by offering statistics. Of the 50 total trans fatalities in the United States in 2022, a majority were Black and Latinx women (Fatal Violence Against the Transgender, n.d.). The trend of violence toward trans people is present among other ethnicities and countries: Brazil leads the world in anti-trans violence, with 375 deaths between 2020 and 2021, 58% of whom were sex workers (Pinheiro, 2022). Moreover, of course, these are only the killings that are known and reported. Given this pattern of violence, from which one can discern intersections of gender identity and race, it becomes more apparent to the audience that the vulnerability of trans women and other marginalized gender identities to harm needs to be recognized as a distinct set of violence that stems from cis heteropatriarchy.
Furthermore, intersex people, who have reproductive or sexual anatomy that does not strictly align with female or male anatomy, for example they could have both ovarian and testicular tissues, or a penis with a urethral opening at the base, or an enlarged clitoris, are often left out of conversation about human rights even among LGBTQ topics. However, we now know that sexual development is complicated and does not exist in a strict two options realm. Instead, even biological sex exists on a spectrum. Unfortunately, corrective cosmetic surgeries are performed on infants when intersex babies’ genitals do not fit the limited female or male presentation. However, once the child is a teenager or adult, problems can arise where the child does not align with their assigned gender or feels considerable distress at knowing they had no autonomy over what happened to their body. Furthermore, most of these surgeries are cosmetical only and can cause medical and functional lifelong complications for the individual. For example, Kreukels et al. (2018) conducted a cross-sectional study in 14 European centers with 1,040 participants. They found that forced gender change in infancy caused lower self-esteem, anxiety, and depression in intersex people compared to cisgendered participants. Due to these human rights violations intersex activists from 30 organizations came together to draw up the Malta Declaration (2013), highlighting the demands and recommendations of the international intersex movement. In their declaration, they ask for intersex to be acknowledged as a naturally occurring variation in humans, not to treat intersex as a medical disorder and automatically conduct cosmetic surgeries on newborns, and not to force the child into strict male or female roles (Malta Declaration, 2013). During our podcast, we will cover the human rights issues of non-consensual cosmetic genital surgeries and existing and lacking international laws that protect intersex people’s rights. For more information on Intersex rights and activism, please visit the Intersex Society of North America (What Is Intersex, n.d.).
In addition, the podcast gives a rundown on the terminology used for LGBTQ people. Starting with how there was no mention of any identities aside from cis-gendered heterosexual women and men in the original Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the Committee on the Elimination of Discriminations against Women (1979) and continuing to the highly influential Yogyakarta Principles (2007). These principles are a comprehensive document on the human rights of queer and gender-variant people, which spearheaded a focus on the gender identities previously left out of treaties and UN human rights discussions. After the Yogyakarta Principles, several reviews, such as the Universal Periodic Review of Treaty Bodies and Special Procedures (2008) and a report to the UN General Assembly (2018) started to disc...
This podcast focuses on abortion rights in Canada: what is the history of abortion rights in Canada? Are there any legislated protections in place for individuals wanting/needing an abortion? How accessible are abortions? Also, what are some of the socio-economic impacts/pressures when it comes to getting an abortion? And how have Indigenous peoples been affected by changes in reproductive rights, have they even been considered? These are some of the core questions that we aim to answer in our podcast. Part of our conversation will touch on the debate that exists within discussions of abortion rights, pro-life vs. pro-choice, this division centers around the right a fetus versus the right of the pregnant individual. Finally, we will also draw comparisons between abortion rights in Canada and those in the United States, especially focusing on the actions of individual states following the over turning of Roe v. Wade.
The purpose of our podcast is to bring awareness to the fact that since the 1988 ruling by the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of R v. Morgentaler, the act of giving or receiving an aboriton has been considered legal by the federal government of Canada. The Court found that
previous abortion laws that banned or limited access to abortions went against section 7 of the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the right to life, liberty and security of person (Long,
2022). Nevertheless, despite abortions being decriminalized and legal, the right to obtain an
abortion has never been enshrined in the Canadian Constitution. It also has not been added to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms thus meaning that there are no protections in place that will ensure the longevity of individuals being able to safely and legally access abortions (ARCC, 1). Some of the main arguments and concepts we are engaging with include the right for
everyone to have access to safe abortions. In clinics, we need to have open, safe spaces for
people of all genders, socio-economic statuses, religions, and races to have abortions, free from bias or harassment. Canada needs to have these clinics accessible to everyone, including those in rural areas. Canada also needs to have laws that are pro-choice. While abortion is decriminalized, there has been no legislature on abortions since 1988. The Supreme court did not say that there was an inherent right to abortions under the charter of rights, merely that the laws against abortions were hindering women’s rights (Long, 2022). With this comes limited access to abortions and a general sense of uncertainty with the Roe v. Wade overturning in the USA. Canada needs to put in place firm laws that defend a persons right to an abortion. Another
concept we will engage with is the fact that certain demographics are disproportionately affected by abortion laws. This partially stems from racism, sexism, classism and prejudice against those who differ from the people in charge. This topic is acutely relevant to our current society with the recent overturning of Roe v. Wade; with a change in leadership Canada could have similar outcomes. It is time that those in charge create laws that protect abortion and a person’s right to choose. Without this, future leaders will have an easier time enforcing abortion bans even though abortion is currently decriminalized in Canada.
Finally, we explore the implementation and enforcement of rights by discussing the barriers to abortion in Canada. Due to Canada’s concentrated population along the southern border, (and un-official racist/classist policies), rural communities are often underserved in relation to reproductive healthcare. Geographic locations greatly impact the rhetoric surrounding abortions in Canada. Un-serviced areas usually also lack adequate pregnancy care (Kirby, 2017.)
Due to the direct links between socio-economic status and geographic location in Canada, reproductive healthcare is not equally accessible across the country. Through the podcast, we will also juxtapose perceived equal access to reproductive rights in Canada and the reality experienced by Indigenous people. Reproductive healthcare in Canada is upheld on the “legislated and non-legislated policies which aim to control Indigenous women’s reproductive rights” (Clarke, 2021). W discuss the aftermath of the report issued by the United Nations Committee Against Torture that acknowledges coerced and forced sterilization of
Indigenous women in Canada (UN, 2018).
References:
Possible Sources to direct listeners to
Abortion Rights Coalition: Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/abortionrightscoalitioncan/?hl=en
Aborsh: Podcast
https://www.vanmag.com/Why-Should-Canadians-Care-About-Roe-v-Wade-This-Podcast-Tackl
es-Abortion-Rights-North-of-the-Border
Al-Arshani, S. (2022). “A Judge in Brazil Ordered a 10-Year-Old Rape Victim to Be Removed
from Her Family and Sent to a Shelter to Prevent Her from Having an Abortion.” Insider,
https://www.insider.com/brazil-judge-10-year-old-rape-victim--abortion-2022-7.
Beier, T. (2018). Abortion is a Charter Right. 4.
https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/media/position-papers/65-abortion-charter-right.pdf
Clarke, E. Indigenous Women and the Risk of Reproductive Healthcare: Forced Sterilization,
Genocide, and Contemporary Population Control. J. Hum. Rights Soc. Work 6, 144–147
(2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41134-020-00139-9
Lewis, H. (1998). "Global intersections: critical race feminist human rights and inter/national
black women." Maine Law Review, 50(2), 309-326.
Long, L. (2022). Abortion in Canada. In The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from
https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/abortion
Sherwin, S. (1991). Abortion Through a Feminist Ethics Lens. Dialogue, 30(3), 327-342.
doi:10.1017/S0012217300011690
This is an extremely important topic because of how many intersections lead to women’s rights. Women still deal with an immense amount of violence and discrimination, and we hope that by examining the monstrosities perpetrated against women in the United States we will bring more awareness to this topic. We also hope that by examining CEDAW, we can propose potential solutions. CEDAW is a brilliant jumping-off place because it has been in formation for so many decades. With this, there is a certain awareness of what works, and what doesn’t in the context of women’s reproductive justice. Specifically, we want to understand why a state would not prescribe to a convention protecting its members, such as CEDAW, and if there is a better way to mandate women’s reproductive rights. This will require us to examine women’s rights intersectionally, and focus on who benefits from them, and who does not. We will attempt to explore solutions, those that involve the United Nations, and those that do not. Our end goal, especially as women living in a state that is boarding a country committing horrific acts of violence against women, is to use our class knowledge of international human rights to shed light on how reproductive injustice in America is affecting women.
References:
Catherine A. MacKinnon, Are Women Human? And Other International Dialogues (United States of America: Harvard University Press, 2007) at 141. HumanRightsWatch. (2022, June 24). Human rights 101 | episode 11: Why is access to
abortion a human rights issue? YouTube. Retrieved October 9, 2022, from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEMtBL0kTwg
Rachael Johnstone (2006). "Feminist Influences on the United Nations Human Rights Treaty
Bodies." Human Rights Quarterly, 28(1), 148-185.
Nussbaum, Marth (2016). “Women’s Progress and Women’s Human Rights.” Human Rights
Quarterly 38 589–622. https://muse-jhu-edu.ezproxy.library.uvic.ca/article/627628/pdf
The New York Times. (2022, May 24). Tracking the states where abortion is now banned. The
New York Times. Retrieved October 9, 2022, from
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2022/us/abortion-laws-roe-v-wade.html
Zwingel, Susanne (2013). "International Feminist Strategies: Strengths and Challenges of the
Rights-Based Approach." Politics & Gender, 9: 344-351.
Following the overturn of Roe v. Wade in the United States, the topic of abortion has been present in the minds of many in North America. There has been access to safe abortions for many years and now woman have to worry that their right to safe and legal abortions could be
taken away at any given time. Banning access to to safe and legal abortions does not mean that
they are not happening, they are simply occurring under extremely dangerous conditions and
may be fatal. Sexual and reproductive rights differ greatly among countries which affect the
safety of women in countries where these services are unavailable or illegal. Should the United
Nations / International law bodies establish sanctions to ensure the accessibility of sexual and
reproductive services across the globe as a way to promote the safety of women? Throughout
this podcast we will attempt to explore the complexities of sexual and reproductive rights across
the globe through the lens of international human rights and gender. Along with these theories, to better understand the discrepancies among these rights in different countries, we explore the role that religion plays in various countries around the world. As a group, we discuss sexual and reproductive rights with a focus on access to abortion through an international lens while assessing whether or not these rights will ever become universally adopted across the globe. In addition to this, we will discuss the challenges that may prohibit abortion and other sexual and reproductive rights from being adopted in a variety of different countries. Some of these challenges include religion, political stance, medical accessibility, and much more. There are many places around the world where women do not have equal rights to education and occupation formally and far too many countries where women experience vast amounts of discrimination simply due to their gender. Sexual and reproductive rights are just as important to the safety and wellbeing of women as the right to education as access to these rights greatly alters the way in which women live their lives. Although women in some countries have been granted access to legal and safe abortions (primarily wealthy countries), there are far too many countries that heavily restrict access to these services or completely prohibit them. We have chosen to explore sexual and reproductive rights through a gendered, and international perspective to assess the discrepancies of sexual and reproductive rights around the world. A woman living in Canada is no more valuable and deserves no more rights than a woman living in
the Dominican Republic, for example, where abortions are completely prohibited. It is through
international human rights that women around the world may be granted the same sexual and
reproductive freedoms which is why exploring this topic through a gendered and international
lens will provide insight as to how this possibility may be put into action.
References:
Influencing SRHR Law Across Borders - Center for Reproductive Rights
Roe v. Wade and the Right to Abortion - National Women's Law Center
International Human Rights and Abortion: Spotlight on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health
The United Nations Declares Abortion a Human Right
Access to Abortion is a Human Right. (2022, June 24). Human Rights Watch. Retrieved October
1, 2022, from https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/06/24/qa-access-abortion-human-right
MacKinnon, C. A. (2006). Are women human? : and other international dialogues. Belknap
Press of Harvard University Press.
UN Women. (2022, June 24). Reproductive rights are women’s rights and human rights.
https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/statement/2022/06/statement-reproductive-rig
hts-are-womens-rights-and-human-rights
United Nations. (2014). Reproductive Rights are Human Rights. OCHR.
Roe v.Wade was a landmark Supreme Court case brought in 1973. The ruling stated that undue State restriction of abortion before 24 weeks of pregnancy was unconstitutional. This ruling was recently struck down in 2022 with the Case Dobbs v Jackson Women’s Health Organization (Roe v. Wade, Encyclopaedia Britannica 2022). The overturning of Roe v. Wade does not only affect “women,” as there are other individuals who have abortions, such as transgender men, non-conforming individuals, and other gender diversities. To stay within the word count and the scope of this topic, we will use the umbrella term ‘women.’ However, it is essential to note the overturning of Roe v. Wade affects systematic and social discourse for everyone, regardless of gender, race, sexual identity or orientation.
Students discuss how this overturn was possible, looking at the history of opposing abortion rights in the USA. The primary opposition to abortion in the US looks at the issue through a religious, conservative framework. The Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) who wrote the draft of the law that overturned Roe v Wade is a group with this perspective (How the Anti-Abortion Rights Movement Took Down Roe, Vice News 2022). This perspective fails to answer our question regarding the ethics of abortion, and why access to abortion should or shouldn’t be a human right. Religious conservative perspectives inadequately argue against abortion with appeals to emotion (Babies Deserve a Chance at Life, ADF 2022), and the misuse of scientific arguments. Our perspective does not deny the humanity of a fetus, or that a distinct human life begins at conception (Medicine and technology have shown us that every human life at EVERY stage deserves to be protected, ADF 2021). This is a misrepresentation of our argument and the science; while a distinct life begins at conception the same is not true for personhood. What we argue makes one a person and distinguishes us from animals is our consciousness (Kluge, 2013), which science actually shows us is an impossibility until 24 weeks of gestation (Lagercrantz, 2014, and Lagercrantz and Changeux, 2009). They also are inadequate to be applied at a human rights level as they require a religious faith in the inherent dignity of human fetuses, and thus fail to protect all individuals regardless of creed, sex, and race from the indignity of having their right to self-determination taken away. Their perspective is also vocally anti United Nations. Another Christian lobby group called C-Fam sees the CEDAW treaty body as an organization that threatens the US Constitution and state freedoms (Cedaw Reality Check, C-Fam). Students defend that human rights issues should be decided at the state level. To complement this conversation, they present how the United Nations human rights framework grounds the right of a woman to control the number and spacing of her children, and her right to access the healthcare required to do so (CEDAW, Articles 12 and 16). We argue that abortion is covered under such healthcare. The UN CEDAW treaty body could provide a legal basis for abortion rights, despite the fact that USA has not ratified it. Students also explore a deontological ethics approach as key to grounding the right to abortion and proving that a pro-choice perspective is a logical and scientific choice over a pro-life one. And finally, a critical race feminist approach allows to elaborate on the impacts this ruling has on racialized women. Since abortion is an issue regarding an individual's right to self-determination, American access to abortion coheres with a Deontological ethics approach. This is particularly relevant to the right a person has to bodily autonomy (Kluge, 2013). The Critical Race Feminist perspective is important when discussing the overturning of Roe v. Wade, given that women of colour are already discriminated against, and thus have lower access to proper health care. Women of colour face more dismissive treatment by medical professionals and unjust racial stereotypes, thus contributing to medical mistrust (Artiga et al., 2022).
References
Kluge, E. (2012, October 1). Ethics in Health Care: A Canadian Focus, First Edition (1st ed.). Pearson Education Canada.
Are Women Human?: And Other International Dialogues. (2007, November 30). In Crimes of War, Crimes of Peace (First PB Edition, First Printing). Belknap Press: An Imprint of Harvard University Press.
Artiga, S., Hill, L., Ranji, U., & Gomez, I. (2022, July 15). What are the Implications of the
Overturning of Roe v. Wade for Racial Disparities? KFF. Retrieved October 4, 2022, from https://www.kff.org/racial-equity-and-health-policy/issue-brief/what-are-the- implications-of-the-overturning-of-roe-v-wade-for-racial-disparities/
Assembly, U. G. (1979). Convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against
women. Retrieved April, 20, 2006.
Vice how the anti-abortion rights movement took down roe - Bing video. (n.d.). [Video]. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=vice+how+the+anti-abortion+rights+movement+took+down+roe
Babies Deserve a Chance at Life. (n.d.). Alliance Defending Freedom. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://adflegal.org/issues/sanctity-of-life/abortions/key-issues/babies-deserve-a-chance-at-life
[Alliance Defending Freedom]. (2021, November 29). Medicine and technology have shown us: EVERY human life at EVERY stage deserves to be protected. [Video]. YouTube. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from Medicine and technology have shown us: EVERY human life at EVERY stage deserves to be protected.
Brand, A. (2022, May 7).'we cannot go back': People share their stories of abortion and access. NBCNews.com. Retrieved October 9, 2022, from https://www.nbcnews.com/specials/abortion-and-access-stories-around-the-country/index.html.
Lagercrantz, H. (2014, October). The emergence of consciousness: Science and ethics.
In Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine (Vol. 19, No. 5, pp. 300-305). WB Saunders.
Lagercrantz, H., & Changeux, J. P. (2009). The emergence of human consciousness: from fetal
to neonatal life. Pediatric research, 65(3), 255-260.
Lewis, H. (1998). Global intersections: critical race feminist human rights and inter/national black women (2nd ed., Vol. 50). Marine Law Review.
OHCHR. (2022.). OHCHR | What are human rights? Retrieved October 4, 2022, from
https://www.ohchr.org/en/what-are-human-rights
User, S. (2014, October 20). CEDAW Reality Check. C-Fam. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://c-fam.org/cedaw-reality-check-2/
Roe v. Wade | Summary, Origins, & Influence. (2022, August 24). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.br...
Abortion remains a subject often discussed at the policy level and within activist channels in addition to being debated in public spaces by citizens more generally. Developments in abortion politics worldwide have material consequences for the lives of many people and with pressing health concerns that threaten the lives of women at the heart of the discourse. Additionally, the recent overruling of the Roe v. Wade decision in the United States has, in some ways, reinvigorated public and activist interest here in Canada, acting as a reminder that the current state of affairs is not necessarily static or fixed. We feel that both pro-choice activism and anti-choice campaigns have become emboldened by the Supreme Court decision and subsequent conversations being had by our neighbors in the United States and, as such, the topic is of particular relevance today.
We believe it is necessary to think about abortion beyond the medical/biological ethics deliberation, where the status of personhood and developmental cutoffs are key, and consider additionally how the restriction of abortion is a violation of women’s fundamental freedom and body autonomy. As such, the issue of abortion should be considered with gender sensitivity. This kind of framing, we argue, is a better encapsulation of the issue at hand because it rightfully recognizes women’s lives and bodies as relevant areas of discussion. Articulating this argument using course material and real-world examples will be key for our podcast. Abortion restriction has always been a gendered issue in that it is a form of discrimination against women. Threats to reproductive freedom include policy decisions as well as accessibility concerns, should abortion be theoretically legal but not accessible in any given location or for certain demographics. Reproductive and sexual rights as human rights is part of the gender mainstreaming effort in the United Nations and are entangled with other areas of interest within women’s rights, such as economic opportunity, social participation, and the issue of violence against women. We will argue that restrictions on abortion are largely about having control over women’s bodies and freedom of self-determination, something that has been present throughout history, with ongoing implications for women today.
As a group, we explore the relationship between international human rights bodies, national governance, and local organizing as they might contribute to abortion attitudes and realities for women. We’d like to identify why and in what ways there is a disparity in abortion access (or indeed policy) within Canada and discuss the implications of this. We’d also like to outline for our listeners how the issue of securing reproductive rights for women is deeply interconnected with other human rights that are named in CEDAW and other human rights treaties.
References:
Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada website: https://www.arcc-cdac.ca/
Island Sexual Health webpage about abortion: https://www.islandsexualhealth.org/pregnancy/abortion/
Vancouver Island Women’s Clinic website: https://www.viwc.ca/abortions
The Abortion Diary podcast by Melissa Madera
Killing the Black Body: Race, Reproduction, and the Meaning of Liberty, a book by Dorothy Roberts: https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/229445
No Choice: The 30-Year Fight for Abortion on Prince Edward Island, a book by Kate McKenna
In this episode series, Tamara Gonsalves provides insight into student podcasts regarding gender and international human rights.
In 2022 and 2023, students were asked to create podcasts for the University of Victoria course Gender 305 regarding gender roles in human rights. Throughout this season, prior students of Gender 305 do a deep dive on topics such as gender-based discrimination, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive rights.