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Pauktuutit urges action on abuse

Governments, municipalities and Inuit orgs urged to endorse abuse prevention strategy

JANE GEORGE

Pauktuutit wants governments and organizations across the Arctic to endorse their new strategy on preventing family violence and sexual abuse.

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“Fear and denial have paralyzed us,” says the strategy. “Leadership is needed to turn the tide.”

Pauktuutit wants Inuit organizations and governments to endorse the strategy to prevent abuse and to help implement the strategy, said Leesie Naqitarvik of Pauktuutit.

Hundreds of copies of the clearly written, bilingual strategy, which is aimed at preventing abuse and provides a guide on how to implement the strategy, are going out this month to communities and groups across the North.

Developed by an advisory committee of Inuit from across Canada, the strategy focuses on reducing violence and abuse through action instead of talk.

As a short-term goal it urges provincial and territorial governments, municipal councils and land claims organizations to endorse the strategy on abuse prevention. They can also show their support by passing “zero tolerance against abuse resolutions,” and naming abuse as a top social and economic priority.

Kuujjuaq has endorsed the strategy, and Pauktuutit hopes all regional Inuit groups as well as individual communities will also endorse the strategy or pass resolutions against abuse by the end of March, 2007.

Naqitarviq said Nunavummiut should now make it a priority for the Qimaavik women’s shelter in Iqaluit to remain open.

Pauktuutit plans to get involved in the effort to find more money for Qimaavik, and will continue to build up its new association of Inuit shelters to provide them with long-term support, all of which need more money and trained workers, Naqitarvik said.

National crime prevention money paid for development of the Pauktuutit strategy and its guide to prevent abuse as part of a project called “Nuluaq.”

It’s called Nuluaq because the wooden frame of the sealskin stretcher, or nuluaq, represents the resources that Inuit have, while the sealskin represents the families and communities in need of support.

Nuluaq wants to see more Inuit healing resources, Inuit frontline workers, intervention programs for children and families, public awareness campaigns, after care for victims and offenders, use of alternative justice and more use of Inuktitut.

“In our vision, violence and abuse are rare occurrences that are dealt with swiftly and justly according to Inuit ways,” says the strategy.

The guide, called Sharing knowledge, sharing wisdom, includes useful information, many suggestions for action, facts, statistics and comprehensive list of resources.

Nuluaq is also starting up four new projects, one for a healing circle in Nunavik, possibly slated for Inukjuak. Nuluaq is also looking for money to stage a national men’s healing conference as a way of getting men involved in abuse prevention efforts.

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