Ubalaguk and good afternoon, Madam Chair or Madam isivauta , and distinguished members of the committee.
It is an honour and a pleasure to appear before you today.
Since 1984, Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada has been the national voice for Inuit women of our country. Through advocacy, policy development and community projects, Pauktuutit brings awareness to the unique needs of Inuit women in a wide range of areas, including violence and abuse prevention, justice and policing, health and wellness, and social and economic development.
Addressing intimate partner and domestic violence is the main priority of Pauktuutit, and yet the problem has continued to worsen in the past 30 years.
I will start by providing you with a glimpse of just how severe the problem is. The rate of violence experienced by Inuit women is 14 times higher than for other groups of women in Canada. At times, Inuit children experience abuse and maltreatment at 10 times the rate of other Canadian children. In Nunavut, one of two Inuit women has experienced severe sexual abuse during childhood. The suicide rate for Inuit is estimated to be between nine and 20 times the national average.
These few facts only reveal the surface of the issue. Reluctance to report domestic violence is further heightened by the Inuit language barrier, a lack of safe places or shelters, and a general mistrust of police.
Underlying historical, social and economic factors contribute to the Inuit experiencing the highest rate of violence in the country. Inuit continue to face the intergenerational trauma of residential schools, institutionalized and systemic racism, overcrowded housing conditions, poverty and food insecurity.
Domestic violence must be addressed as both a physical and mental health issue. We know that psychological traumas, particularly those that go untreated, have devastating impacts.
The financial costs of physical abuse, including emergency services, treatment, rehabilitation and the frequent need for medevacs are significant, yet current investments to reduce gendered violence have been insufficient. Many Inuit women live in small fly-in, fly-out communities. Most Inuit Nunangat communities are experiencing a housing shortage and are without shelters. Too often, there are simply no safe places where women can escape violence and no resources to access.
Inuit women are required to navigate a complex system and travel long distances with no transportation or financial means. They are forced to seek shelter outside of their home communities, leaving behind any children and support systems they have in place.
While Inuit women face the highest rates of domestic violence in the country, funding, resources and a seat at the table for Inuit women's leadership voices as decision-makers are significantly lacking.
An Inuit-specific, gender-based analysis lens must be applied to all policies and initiatives to address domestic and intimate partner violence experienced by Inuit women. The solutions must be led and informed by Inuit women, who are the experts and hold the knowledge to solve this issue that directly impacts Inuit women. Pauktuutit has called for investments in shelters and transitional housing that are coordinated, gendered and distinctions based. These investments must be sustainable and support work to increase access to counselling and treatment programs and supports for unhealthy addictions, which mask the underlying traumas and/or instigate violence.
Health, police and service providers must be better educated about Inuit history, culture, gendered violence and our language. Historically, there has been a breakdown in trust, resulting in fear of those in positions of power, such as police. Inuit women have expressed that they have felt revictimized after seeking help within the justice and policing systems.
Pauktuutit has signed a memorandum of agreement and is working in partnership with the RCMP to shift towards community-led policing that strives to improve the safety and security of Inuit women, for our families and communities.
The need for support and resources was heightened during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many services were reduced or shifted online, while Internet accessibility is a continuous problem for Inuit communities. Mental health and substance misuse issues have risen even higher, as families have remain confined to the home, in overcrowded conditions, due to health directives. Advocacy for shelters and transitional homes for Inuit and their children must be a top priority for Pauktuutit.
I appreciate the opportunity to come before you today and to speak to the important issues of intimate partner violence. This issue continues to victimize and traumatize our women and gendered people, with intergenerational impacts that continue to destroy the lives of children, families, communities and culture. We look forward to working with the federal government to address this modern-day tragedy that impacts so many.
We welcome any questions.