IIMA Addresses Human Rights Issues Concerning Migrant Workers and Human Trafficking During Canada’s Universal Periodic Review at the Human Rights Council

On September 19^th, 2013, IIMA delivered an oral statement on Canada’s second Universal Periodic Review (UPR), which evaluates human rights issues in Canada and recommends where the nation needs to improve. IIMA encouraged Canada to implement the recommendations that they accepted leading up to their next UPR in 2017 and to continue greater work to protect migrant workers from exploitation. IIMA also raised additional concerns about the Canadian Temporary Foreign Worker Program’s holes and weaknesses, which include the unreasonable burden of proof placed on a trafficked victim in seeking the protection of the government, the abuse by foreign recruiting agencies, and harsh living and working conditions in Canada. IIMA’s oral statement delivered to the Human Rights Council is based on reports from sisters’ in Canada along with contributions from the Office for Systemic Justice of Federation of Sisters of Saint Joseph of Canada.

You can watch IIMA's oral statement on Canada by clicking the link and selecting chapter 18 on the right side of the page.http://webtv.un.org/watch/canada-upr-report-condsideration-22nd-meeting-24th-regular-session-of-human-rights-council/2681983486001/