The Bill would complement existing Canadian initiatives, both at home and abroad, to put an end to barbaric cultural practices that go against Canadian values because they cause harm to women and girls and prevent their full participation in society. These practices, which include early and forced marriage, “honour”-based violence and female genital mutilation/cutting, have no place in Canada’s free and democratic society. Some of Canada’s initiatives to end these practices are set out below.
Canada has made ending child, early and forced marriage (CEFM) a foreign policy and development priority and is intensifying programming and advocacy efforts to address CEFM. For example:
- Canada spearheaded the initiative to establish the International Day of the Girl Child, which focused on CEFM in 2012, its first year.
- In October 2013, Canada announced $5 million in new funding to address the causes and consequences of CEFM around the world. These funds were used for programs in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Ghana, Somalia and Zimbabwe.
- On July 4, 2014, Minister Baird announced that Canada is contributing $20 million over two years to UNICEF toward ending CEFM. The UNICEF project aims to accelerate the movement to end child marriage in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Ghana, Yemen and Zambia by supporting efforts in these countries to strengthen programming and political support to end the practice.
- Also in July 2014, Canada committed institutional support to the efforts of the Royal Commonwealth Society to raise awareness in Commonwealth countries about the need to end CEFM.
- Canada has played an important role in bringing world attention and action to this issue of CEFM. For example, for the second year, Canada and Zambia will lead a United General Assembly resolution on CEFM in the Fall of 2014.
- Canada contributes to efforts to combat female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM) by working with UN agencies, and bilaterally with other countries supporting projects to address violence against women and eliminate harmful cultural practices like FGM.
Canada has taken action to protect vulnerable Canadians, particularly women and girls, from early and forced marriage and other harmful or violent cultural practices. For example:
