UN experts call on Canada, Holy See to investigate mass grave at indigenous school
GENEVA (4 June 2021) – UN human rights experts* urged Canadian authorities and the Catholic Church to conduct prompt and thorough investigations into the discovery of a mass grave containing the remains of over 200 children at a British Columbia 'residential school' for indigenous children forcibly taken from their homes.
The Kamloops Indian Residential School, where the children's remains were found, had been run by the Catholic Church between late 19th century and the late 1960s, when the federal government took over until its closure in the 1970s. It was part of the indigenous residential school system which, between 1831 and 1996, hosted over 150,000 children in 130 schools, many run by the Catholic Church or the federal government.
The 2015 report of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission determined that Aboriginal children were subjected to abuse, malnutrition and rape, and that at least 4,000 died of disease, neglect, accidents or abuse while at these schools.
"We urge the authorities to conduct full-fledged investigations into the circumstances and responsibilities surrounding these deaths, including forensic examinations of the remains found, and to proceed to the identification and registration of the missing children," said the UN experts. They further called on the Government "to undertake similar investigations in all other Indigenous residential schools in the country", recalling the right of victims to know the full extent of the truth about the violations endured.