Thank you for your very relevant and interesting question.
It's true that this is very complicated. When I emphasize that there is no ideal solution, that's really what I have observed. Let's consider the example of safe houses. I'm not saying that safe houses are useless, but this is a type of measure that doesn't really address the causes of violence. In our research, we've realized that once again it's the woman who bears the burden of having to leave the home. The aggressor often stays in the community. Once again, the burden is on the woman to take action, to leave, and all that. If the safe house is located outside the community, sometimes there's this burden.
However, it's difficult to respond unilaterally. In all my research, I've met women who said that it was important for them to leave; others said they would prefer to stay. Still others said they felt more comfortable on the outside, that a safe house, with non-aboriginals, because their anonymity was good for them, whereas others said they needed cultural proximity to their own people, that they felt better in their communities. That's why I very much emphasize that you have to be creative, but you especially have to be close to the people.
I know that you work in politics. I know you start from above and put in place structures and initiatives at the bottom level. Instead, I think you have to develop inductive approaches and sometimes go from one community to another to get a clear idea of the local realities and to deploy a number of services so as to respond to the diversity of people's needs. If a woman needs to stay in her community, there should be a structure that permits that. If a woman wants to leave her community, there should be a structure that permits that, and not say that we're going to establish safe houses in all communities.
What is more, sometimes there's a problem with the operation of those safe houses, which resemble prisons. It's incredible that an aboriginal woman who is a victim of violence... I won't name the place because there would be no point. It's nevertheless incredible to see aboriginal women feeling doubly victimized because they have schedules they have to follow: they can't leave when they want to. In a way they feel shut in. That's absolutely unacceptable.
The major difficulty, in my view, is understanding that, as a result of the proximity and cultural differences Marie-Pierre referred to, we have to innovate and find completely different things. That requires a lot of creativity in the communities. I find there's often a lack of imagination.
I don't know whether I'm doing a good job of answering your question. I don't think we need to focus our efforts solely on the idea of safe houses. The safe house is one solution, but it's very temporary.
I don't know whether I answered your question.