'An Institutional Suicide Machine': Discrimination Against Federally Sentenced Aboriginal Women by the Correctional Service of Canada in Violation of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

This paper discusses the treatment of Aboriginal women in the Correctional Services of Canada (CSC) within an international human rights context. The author posits that the discriminatory treatment of Aboriginal women in Canadian federal prisons amounts to a breach of CEDAW. The paper investigates the sexist and racist treatment of Aboriginal women in this context, drawing on research and factual reports. The author argues that the Canadian government ignores these rights violations despite numerous studies and inquiries. The author addresses the possibility of raising this issue to the international stage through use of CEDAW. In employing CEDAW, the author cautions that equality rights cannot be understood as wholly divorced from other forms of discrimination, including sexual orientation, disability, and class.