IHRP at the UN's Universal Periodic Review: Calling on Canada to end human rights violations in federal prisons

The UN Human Rights Council undertakes its Universal Periodic Review of Canada's human rights record this Friday, and it will have before it the IHRP's "shadow report" highlighting ongoing rights violations in Canada's federal prison system. The Universal Periodic Review allows for an assessment of the human rights record of every UN member state, once every four years. As part of its 2009 review of Canada, the Human Rights Council recommended that Canada "closely monitor the situation of . . . women prisoners." The IHRP's submissions make clear that Canada's treatment of women with mental health issues in its federal prisons violates their rights to health and non-discrimination, and in some cases, constitutes cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment.

The IHRP's report to the UN is available here, and a summary of submissions by other civil society groups can be found here. The IHRP's submission is based on its May 2012 report, Cruel, Inhuman and Degrading? Canada's Treatment of Federally-Sentenced Women with Mental Health Issues, available here.