Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

All families deserve the right to live in peace and without fear of violence in any form. This is reflected in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which ensures “the right to life, liberty and security of the person,” while the Convention on the Rights of the Child establishes that children have the right to “live free from all forms of violence.”

Truly sustainable development requires all families to feel safe and able to access justice at all levels of society – justice enforced by effective, accountable and inclusive institutions. Yet, despite Canada regularly scoring high on quality-of-life indices, research shows many people – particularly those in marginalized populations – continue to experience violence and abuse, and not all families have equal access to, or experiences with, judicial systems in Canada.