The petition
ATTN: The Honourable Stephen Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
cc: The Honourable Josée Verner, Minister of International Cooperation
Dear Prime Minister Harper,
First, allow me to congratulate you and the Canadian Government on your current policy surrounding women's rights. Thank you for making sure that fair treatment of women is included in all of your government's policies - including international development.
I would also like to congratulate you for supporting the recent UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with a Disability (signed March 30, 2007).
As a woman with a disability, both of these issues are extremely important to me. And while I celebrate the fact that you have signed the UN charter, I, along with the undersigned, now urge you to develop specific policies and actions to ratify this agreement.
There are millions of women falling through the cracks of our Canadian international development policy - namely, women struggling to survive poverty and disability.
Women with disabilities are 2 to 3 times more likely to be abused. They are less likely to receive an education. They face twice the discrimination - because of their gender and because of their disability. Poverty makes the situation worse.
We collectively state our concern and our desire that you include people with disabilities in your government's international development policy so that no one - regardless of gender, mental or physical capacity - is denied basic rights.
As a Canadian, a tax payer, a woman, a person with a disability; on behalf of the undersigned, I am asking you - Prime Minister Harper - to stand behind your government's policy. Please ratify your commitment to the UN Charter for the Rights of Persons with a Disability by making disability a necessary component in every government-funded international development project.
Melissa Vassallo
On behalf of Christian Blind Mission and the Canadian citizen undersigned:
Sign the petition
Fields marked * are required.