GENEVA, Aug. 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples faced calls to launch an independent investigation into the systemic mistreatment, exploitation, and violence faced by Indigenous women and girls across Canada today as international human rights expert J.R. Howell, a US-based attorney, filed a formal complaint.

The filing calls out the failure of law enforcement to search the landfill where a serial killer disposed of the remains of four Indigenous women he murdered, Ashlee Shingoose, Morgan Harris, Marcedes Myran, and Rebecca Contois. The complaint also targeted the government's failure to search for Tanya Nepinak, who was murdered more than 10 years ago and whose remains are still in the landfill. Howell made the filing with the United Nations on behalf of the affected families and human rights defenders who were targeted and harassed by government officials in their efforts to call for a search of the missing women.

In the filing, Howell outlines a deeply troubling pattern of state-sponsored racism, gender-based violence, and child separation—practices that he argues amount to ongoing cultural genocide.

"Indigenous women and girls are still being trafficked, abused, and murdered—with impunity," Howell said.

The complaint draws attention to multiple human rights violations, including the disproportionate rates of murder, abduction, and trafficking among Indigenous women and girls, and systemic failures by Canadian law enforcement to investigate these crimes. Howell also argues that historic and ongoing separation of Indigenous children from their families through biased child welfare systems and covert relocation and re-education strategies have deprived Canada's Indigenous people of their human rights in violation of numerous international laws, including the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

"Canada's domestic legal systems have failed these communities," said Howell. "International scrutiny is now necessary."

Howell calls on the Special Rapporteur to:

• Launch an urgent investigation into the Canadian government's role in systemic abuses against Indigenous peoples;
• Host listening sessions with victims and families in First Nations territories; and
• Encourage international oversight and reporting on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG).

Howell, whose legal career has spanned work in the U.S., Canada, and Europe, is also producing a documentary film on the subject, amplifying first-person accounts of Indigenous survivors and the families of missing women and children.

This filing follows Howell's recent testimony to the California State Assembly on state surveillance practices and is part of his broader mission to combat institutional harm and expand accountability for marginalized communities.

For press interviews, access to the U.N. filing, or film media assets, please contact:

Media Contact:
Jase Lucas, The Excellence Agency
jase@ExcellenceLA.com
(323) 897-8656

ABOUT J.R. HOWELL:
J.R. Howell is a distinguished US attorney with an international practice specializing in human rights and social justice litigation across the US, Canada, and Europe. As principal attorney at The Law Office of J.R. Howell, he is dedicated to advocating for marginalized communities while embodying integrity and professionalism. With a robust educational background from institutions like The George Washington University and American University's Washington College of Law, J.R. has significant experience both in the US and abroad. His recent multi-million dollar class action lawsuit victories underscore his commitment to justice, while an upcoming case defending reproductive freedoms highlights his advocacy. J.R. actively addresses injustices faced by Indigenous peoples in Canada, focusing on truth and reconciliation regarding residential schools and missing and murdered women and girls. Currently producing a documentary on the MMIWG2s+ movement, he aims to raise awareness through first-person interviews with families of victims. Driven by a passion for justice, J.R. fights to amplify marginalized voices both in the courtroom and through film

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SOURCE The Law Office of J.R. Howell