Honors given for work

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Irene Khan has helped to bring the issues of Aboriginal women in Canada to the international stage. Khan is the Secretary General of Amnesty International and has been a human rights activist since 1977.

On Oct. 26 in Edmonton Khan was given the Social Justice Award by the Institute for the Advancement of Aboriginal Women (IAAW) with the support of the Canadian Native Friendship Centre.

The IAAW is a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion and improvement of Aboriginal women.

The Social Justice Award is given for outstanding contribution in the area of the recognition of crimes against Aboriginal women.

The award ceremony included traditional drumming and dancing. It also included the unveiling of Buckskin and Beads, a buckskin blanket that features Aboriginal artwork. It is adorned with the names of Aboriginal women who have died violent deaths. They are written on the trim around the edge of the blanket, though there is not enough room to include all the names of the murdered and missing Aboriginal women from Edmonton and surrounding area.

Khan came to the attention of the IAAW for a report written by Amnesty International in October 2004.

"We are extremely grateful for the world attention which has resulted from the report Stolen Sisters: A Human Response to Discrimination and Violence Against Indigenous Women in Canada released this spring," said Muriel Stanley Venne, president and founder of the IAAW.

Khan, who is from Pakistan, has been secretary general of Amnesty International since August 2001.

Khan is a strong proponent of human rights and is deeply concerned about violence against women. She has been active in bringing attention to the plight of those who suffer discrimination and oppression around the world since she began her work as a human rights activist.

Khan's career has led her to many countries and many conflicts.

She studied law at the University of Manchester in England and at Harvard Law School specializing in public international law and human rights.

Recently Khan has initiated a process of consultations with women activists to design a global campaign by Amnesty International to address violence against women.

"She has brought this issue to the international scene. That is what is so precious to us," said Stanley Venne.

"The Canadian government now has to answer to the international audience for what is happening in Canada with Native women."