Rates of violence against women and girls in Canada and around the world are horrific. This is why, today, the Emerging Leaders Council and Indigenous activists called on the Canadian government to support a new binding Optional Protocol to CEDAW that explicitly condemns and prevents violence against women and girls.
We called on the Governor General of Canada Mary Simon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs Melanie Joly in two letters signed by over 1,200 activists and allies in over 88 countries.
As the co-chair of the Emerging Leaders Council — made up of frontline activists under 35 — I’m struck by what my peers face around the world. Our letter begins:
“We are from countries where women are murdered in cold blood in the name of ‘honor.’ We are from countries where girls are forced to marry at the age of 12. Some of us have been sexually assaulted. Some of us had to flee our countries just to be able to write you this letter.”
I joined Every Woman Treaty in 2018 because, like many others, I felt paralyzed. As a first-generation Peruvian-American, I witnessed different manifestations of violence against women across the Global North and South from a young age and knew I had to fight against these norms so that I might have a better future. But what could I do? Violence against women and girls is so pervasive that I wondered what kind of impact I could make on this ever-mutating problem.
When I discovered Every Woman Treaty and the call for a legally binding instrument, I found a path forward. Finally, here was a tangible solution, with concrete actions I could take to help make an Optional Protocol to CEDAW specific to ending violence against women and girls a reality.
With Antigua and Barbuda, Costa Rica, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Sierra Leone championing this cause — alongside thousands of frontline advocates across the globe, including me — the possibility of a safer world for women and girls is closer than ever.
But: this won’t happen without more nations joining the call and actively supporting the creation of a new Optional Protocol to CEDAW. This is where Canada comes in. Canada has the political power to bring more nations on board. It has a strong record in advancing human rights, women’s rights, and addressing violence against women and girls, including taking accountability for violence against Indigenous women.
Plus, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is a self-avowed feminist. This is an opportunity to make good on that declaration, both at home in Canada and around the world. In short, we need leaders and Canada is a good one. As co-chair of the ELC, I can attest to how excited we are for Canada’s potential to bring forward this Optional Protocol and how crucial their backing is.
I stand in awe of my colleagues who risk their lives to build a kinder, safer future for women and girls. In countries where ELC members face repercussions for women’s rights activism, my peers charge forward. They bring attention to gender-based injustices across the world and shed light on larger patterns that traditional media may not. A new Optional Protocol would serve as backup for these activists and myself. It would give us a document we can hold up to our leaders and say these are the standards by which we will hold you accountable.
It is time for nations like Canada to act on their idealism. A global shift towards the protection of women and girls is possible. We call on Canada to join us.
Read the ELC Letter here. Read the Indigenous Letter here.
Calling all young activists! If you’re a women’s rights activist between the ages of 18 and 35 and passionate about ending violence against women and girls, please reach out (zainab@everywoman.org). The Emerging Leaders Council would love to have you.
Daniella Angulo (Peru/USA) is the co-chair of the Every Woman Treaty’s Emerging Leaders Council comprised of women’s rights activists under 35. She is a proud intersectional Latina feminist and bilingual human rights activist who has previously advocated for and conducted research on women’s rights at the domestic and international levels. A graduate from the University of Connecticut with honors in English Literature and Human Rights, her work has spanned gender issues in the U.S. criminal justice system, women in conflict and the creation of a feminist sustainable peace. Her interests include advocating for women’s rights, intersectional social and climate justice, and the use of art to advance human rights issues. She is a recipient of Erasmus Mundus’ Partner Country Scholarship and is obtaining her Master’s in Human Rights Policy and Practice through four European universities.
