Equality Now Statement on Canada’s Signing of Belém do Pará Convention

Equality Now wholeheartedly welcomes the Government of Canada’s decision to sign the Organization of American States’ Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment, and Eradication of Violence against Women (Belém do Pará Convention) on March 7, 2025. This decision reinforces Canada’s commitment to upholding, protecting, and promoting the rights of women and girls both within Canada and across the region. We urge the Canadian government to follow the signing with full ratification and accession to the Belém do Pará Convention.

Adopted in 1994, Belém do Pará Convention is a comprehensive international human rights instrument that affirms women’s right to live free from violence and establishes the obligation of states to exercise due diligence in preventing, investigating, prosecuting, and addressing violence against women. It is a landmark convention that recognizes physical, sexual, and psychological violence against women, whether in public or private spheres.

The convention is a critical tool for civil society organizations and policymakers working to combat violence against women. The standards it sets help shape national laws focused on prevention and prosecution. (Read more about the importance of the Belém do Pará Convention here.)

However, for Canada’s accession to the Convention to be meaningful, it must be accompanied by national implementation, monitoring, and oversight mechanisms. The government must engage with accountability processes and ensure the active involvement of women’s rights organizations.

With Canada’s declaration to sign on to the Belém do Pará Convention, the United States becomes the only full member of the OAS that has yet to sign the convention. We strongly urge the U.S. to follow Canada’s lead, sign the convention, and engage in the multilateral efforts to advance women’s rights.

We hope to work with the government of Canada, and women’s rights groups, in Canada to facilitate the effective implementation of the Convention, and hold the government accountable to its promises.