Ottawa commits $1M for victims of sexual violence
Move comes after repeated calls from high-profile women
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says Ottawa will commit $1 million to support survivors of sexually based attacks in Israel on Oct. 7.
“We believe Israeli women. And we stand with them in their fight for justice,” Joly announced on social media, adding support from the RCMP has also been offered to assist in investigations of the reported crimes.
Joly’s decision to provide funding follows repeated pressure from a coalition of high-profile Canadian women who urged the Liberal government to act in response to reports that Hamas assailants sexually assaulted people during their unprecedented attack on Israel on Oct. 7.
Former Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne, former deputy Conservative party leader Lisa Raitt, and others wrote letters and opinion pieces urging Ottawa to take action and push back against those who were downplaying or denying that Hamas used sexual violence.
Wynne, who helped spearhead the push, said Monday she was “very glad this decision has been made.”
“I’m sorry it took so long,” Wynne said.
“There’s nothing partisan about helping people who have suffered — through no fault of their own — in a war,” she said.
Others involved include former B.C. Liberal premier Christy Clark, former interim federal Tory leader Rona Ambrose, former Ontario education minister Liz Sandals, and Laureen Harper, a prominent federal Tory and the wife of former prime minister Stephen Harper.
Last week, the UN envoy focusing on sexual violence in conflict said there are “reasonable grounds” to believe Hamas committed rape, “sexualized torture” and other cruel and inhumane treatment of women during its attack.
Pramila Pratten, who visited Israel and the West Bank from Jan. 29 to Feb. 14 with a nine-member technical team, presented her report to the United Nations’ Security Council on Monday.
She said their findings included determining some victims were subjected to rape and then killed, and there was also a pattern of women found partially or totally naked, tied up and shot, which indicates sexualized violence, among other things.
Pratten urged Israel to allow a fuller investigation by other UN agencies into what happened on Oct. 7, saying truth and recognition of all violations are critical to helping victims overcome their trauma and regain a sense of agency.
“It is also essential to prevent any denial of the atrocities committed on the seventh of October,” she told the UN.
“Truth is the only path toward peace.”
Joly made Canada’s pledge during her latest tour of the Middle East, largely focused on increased humanitarian support for Gaza, where more than 30,000 Palestinians are believed to have been killed in Israel’s response to the Hamas attacks.
Around 250 people were taken hostage and 1,200 were killed when Hamas militants stormed into Israel on Oct. 7.
Ariella Kimmel, a former Conservative staffer who was involved in the effort to press Ottawa for funding, said she was grateful the women of Israel are getting the recognition they deserve.
“For months, Israelis have dealt with skepticism and denialism,” she said.
“If you advocate for women, then that advocacy cannot be dependent on whether you agree with the government of the country from which the victims come.”