Madam Speaker, “Say her name.”
Social media continue to call on us to name the women who have been
murdered. In Iran, they are Mahsa Amini and Neda Agha Soltan, and there are
many more whose names have not yet been said. These murders and other
violence perpetuated against the women of Iran are in part due to
restrictions of their rights and freedoms. In Afghanistan, freedoms that
were entrenched in law for decades have been stripped away from women.
Closer to home, we need only look south of our border to see women’s rights
being rolled back. Unfortunately the list of countries and regions where
women are currently being targeted is too extensive to list here, and the
trend is getting worse.
We applaud the Iranian people who are protesting these atrocious and
misogynistic policies. They are bravely protesting at their own peril, and
we and others around the world are joining them in their indignation and
anger. I am proud that our Prime Minister has spoken out against and placed
sanctions on those responsible for the murder of Mahsa Amini.
I am asking that all of us in this House take a stand against the
gender-based violence and repression being perpetuated against them in Iran
and everywhere. We must all speak up and say their names.