More than 160 unmarked graves discovered at another former boarding school in Canada
- The graves were found near the former Kuper Island Residential School in the province of British Columbia
- In recent weeks, hundreds of graves and remains of children’s bodies have been discovered at three other former residential schools for Indigenous children
More than 160 “unmarked and undocumented” graves have been discovered on the site of a former boarding school for Indigenous children on an island near Vancouver in Canada.
The graves were found near the former Kuper Island Residential School in the province of British Columbia, Canadian media reported on Wednesday, citing the Penelakut Indigenous community. Further details were not initially provided.
In recent weeks, hundreds of unmarked graves and remains of children’s bodies have been discovered at three other former residential schools for Indigenous children.
The institutes, mostly run by the Catholic Church, housed Indigenous children taken away from their families from the 17th century until the 1990s.
There, children had to learn the traditions of the European colonialists and forget their own languages and cultures. Violence and sexual abuse were allegedly part of the daily routine.
The findings led to numerous protests in Canada, but also caused horror and outrage far beyond the country’s borders.
Human rights experts from the United Nations demanded comprehensive clarification from the Canadian government and the Vatican, while Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has asked Pope Francis to come to Canada to apologise.
