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"Creating a Framework for the Wisdom of the Community:" Review of Victim Services in Nunavut, Northwest and Yukon Territories
Previous Page | Table of Content | Next Page 2.3.3 Obstacles Faced by Nunavut Service ProvidersThis detailed discussion of obstacles faced by Nunavummiut service providers, community caregivers and decision makers is based on individual consultations with key service providers (see Appendix A and B). It is also based on results from the telephone survey of the 98 community-based and universal human services in Nunavut, described in the previous section. This section also includes insights from delegates at the Northwest Territories Victims’ Assistance Conference held in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories (NWT), in March 2001. Their comments are included here as many of these service providers worked in Nunavut prior to the splitting of the eastern and western Arctic into two separate territories, the Northwest Territories and Nunavut, in April 1999. Their comments were very similar to those of the service providers currently working in Nunavut communities. Thirteen victims of crime from Nunavut were also interviewed during this research process and although they are not named in Appendix A, many of the quotes in this section are theirs. The challenges and problems faced by Nunavut service providers in addressing the needs of victims of crime are described below by category. These categories are:
Within each category, the issues are further subdivided for increased clarity. Each category begins with direct quotes from Nunavut service providers, community caregivers and victims of crime. Lack of Community Support for Victims and Caregivers The lack of community support for victims and caregivers, as illustrated by the following quotations, rests on a persistent distrust of services and entrenched anti-victim social norms in Nunavut communities.
Entrenched Social Norms Traumatic reactions and behaviour are resistant to change. Respondents report that, to some degree and in some locations, violence, betrayal and neglect have become normalized and accepted. This normalization and acceptance of traumatic reactions has become necessary for survival. These behaviours include high levels of depression, hopelessness, fear, rage, relationship problems, medical problems, apathy and general dysfunction. A further complication in this situation is that there is, according to most respondents, a long-standing norm of discrimination against, and blaming of, victims, particularly if they are women or female children. Those interviewed for this research report that women have not been valued as much as men and are not thought capable of leadership, or major decision making. Lack of Trust Furthermore, according to respondents, a substantial number of people in small remote Nunavut communities do not trust the existing caregiver network as they may be related to them and/or fear the consequences of asking for help, such as loss of confidentiality and apprehension of children. In addition, respondents report that victims are usually not believed when they try to share their story with family and friends. If they are believed, they are usually blamed for the violence. There is pressure from the victim’s family, the offender and his family, and the community, to keep quiet about violence, neglect and abuse. People are discouraged from reporting crimes to the police and pursuing court cases.[27] To complicate matters, support workers and caregivers themselves, often face victimization, ostracism and blame when they offer assistance. It is not uncommon for some community leaders, church leaders, elders and others to accuse caregivers and support workers of breaking up families or being evil. Lack of Leadership Support and Understanding of Victims Included here are obstacles arising from a lack of women in leadership and decision-making positions and men in leadership positions who do not see victimization as a top priority. A number of respondents stated that some leaders have histories as abusers themselves.
Lack of Women in Leadership and Decision Making-Positions There is, at this time, only one woman in the Nunavut legislature and few women in elected leadership or decision-making positions at any government level. Women are not often in leadership positions in their communities either. Hamlet (municipal) councils, Inuit organizations and community boards are for the most part run by men. Men in Leadership Have Other Priorities and Do Not Understand Social Problems Respondents report that, from their perspective, the elected leadership is focused solely on economic development, and issues related to Aboriginal/Inuit land claims and self government. Those in leadership positions do not seem to be aware that social problems are as widespread and entrenched as service providers believe they are. It appears to these respondents that leaders who do understand the social problems are largely silent about them. Some Leaders Have a Criminal Record Respondents note that, at the time of this research, several Members of the Legislative Assembly have been re-elected after serving time in jail or paying fines in relation to convictions of spousal and sexual assault. The re-election of these individuals may be due to a reported tendency in most remote, Aboriginal communities to vote in family blocs. However, it may also reflect social norms, which, according to respondents, condone and ignore violence against women. Lack of Infrastructure, Resources and Services for Victims
Funding Issues and Limited Community-Based Services Territorial and municipal governments do not allocate funds specifically for victim services aside from yearly budgets for women’s shelters. There has been no new territorial or federal money for more women’s shelters, trauma treatment, addictions programs or counselling services in recent years. In the area of family violence, there are only six women’s shelters or safe houses in Nunavut; so women and children often have to leave town when they need a safe refuge. In addition, there is an acute shortage of public housing; so victimized women are forced to remain with the men who are assaulting them, if they don’t want to leave town and go to a shelter. Lack of public social housing, combined with limited crisis housing and community attitudes as noted above, creates a situation in which victims have few choices. In addition, respondents report that existing community-based agencies, which deliver front-line services such as women’s shelters, Friendship Centres and addictions programs, cannot keep staff as they cannot compete with government wages and benefits. In fact, community-based agencies have to apply to as many as twenty different funders in order to run any programs at all. Writing proposals and reports is a full-time job and most funders do not include administrative costs in their funding. Funders also do not include money for training staff to take on these tasks. Upon completion of the inventory of services it became clear that there are few community-based counselling services, and even fewer residential or long-term healing and treatment programs in Nunavut. In fact, the correctional facility in Iqaluit, Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin) Correctional Centre (BCC), is the only residential treatment program of any type in Nunavut. Even at that, this is an all male facility. There are no residential treatment facilities of any kind for adult women in Nunavut. Schools, nursing stations and social services, judging by inventory results and consultations, are stretched to the limit offering their statutory service and have neither the time nor resources to provide specialized, focused services to victims of crime. In addition, service providers do not have the level of training needed to deal effectively with traumatized and victimized community members. This lack of adequate training, and a heavy workload, quickly burns out service providers, a phenomenon we heard about throughout the research process. There is nowhere to get legal information in small towns and only one community (Rankin Inlet) has a specific victim services program. In summary, many respondents note that current services are more of a “band-aid” approach, as community-based services don’t necessarily work together and are, at any rate, stretched to the limit with little time left for a focused approach to victim’s assistance. Service Coordination Working partnerships and coordination between community-based agencies, and between governments and community agencies, are difficult to maintain according to respondents.[28] This may be due in part to a lack of experience in networking, case management and coalition building. But it is also due to the lack of regional and community program infrastructure as noted above. In addition, community networking infrastructures, such as interagency committees, are either non-existent or function at a level that is only marginally conducive to comprehensive community development. Lack of Information Obstacles here include lack of information about violence and abuse, as well as a lack of information on available resources.
Lack of Information about Violence and Abuse Respondents note that there is limited consistent public education about family violence, child abuse, healthy relationships, parenting and other areas pertinent to stopping violent crime. To complicate matters, in some communities respondents report that some service providers, such as police and social workers, do not fully appreciate the situation of the victims and the psychology of victimization. As a result there is, in some communities, a lack of understanding amongst existing service providers about the role of a women’s shelter, and crisis intervention services in general. Lack of Information about Resources Respondents report that community members most in need of services are often unaware of the services that do exist in their town. For example, if counselling is available at a local church, community people in need of this service often do not know about it. In addition, community residents are too often not aware of the additional, albeit limited, regional and territorial services such as women’s shelters. The roles, responsibilities, policies, services and accountability mechanisms of the local RCMP, the territorial government’s Department of Health and Social Services, Hamlet Council Community Justice and Wellness Programs, and Alcohol and Drug Programs (where they exist) are not widely understood either. Local radio programming, considered by all respondents as the most effective method of public education, has not been used to full advantage in the communities. And there is little public education in the areas of judicial processes, legal rights, police services, community justice, victim’s services or treatment options. The Difficulties of Working with Victimized People The difficulties of working with victimized people include the patterns of trauma itself, fear of service providers, the isolation of victims, and the fact that most service providers are themselves victims.
Traumatic Patterns Respondents note that victims of violence are trapped in a cyclical web of anger, doubt, self-blame, shame, fear, guilt and other traumatic reactions. These feelings, though unpleasant, can become habitual and normalized over time. Respondents explained during their interviews how difficult it is for service providers to break through this hardened traumatic pattern and to encourage victims to take more control over their lives. Most service providers responding to this study said that it takes between three to seven years of consistent effort and comprehensive service provision to help victims believe they can live another way. When victimized people victimize others, caregivers feel pulled in many directions, less sympathetic and confused about how to help. The lack of trust victims feel toward local services does not help this situation. Fear of Service Providers As mentioned earlier, victimized women, and men, find it hard to believe that services will help them with no repercussions. They are afraid that service providers will gossip about them and, as so many community people are related, they don’t want to go to family members for help. Most victims fear further victimization if they go to the police, the social workers and nurses, or if they cooperate with the court process. Isolation of Victims As mentioned earlier, most victimized adults and children do not trust other community members, family members or service providers. This leaves them almost totally isolated. Their financial and emotional dependence on the abuser, or on family members who do not support their independence, combined with the lack of alternate housing increases their isolation. Most Service Providers Are Victims Too Respondents note that virtually all community-based indigenous caregivers and service providers are struggling with their own victimization, or with the victimization of family members. The Difficulties of Working with the Judicial and Correctional Systems Obstacles noted in working with the judicial and correctional systems include inaccessibility of the justice system and inadequate correctional programs.
Inaccessibility of the Justice System Respondents universally described the justice system as inaccessible to victims of crime. They do not understand the judicial process and fear further victimization. They don’t know what to say in court and are often afraid of speaking at all as they fear repercussions from the offender and his family. They are also afraid that their partner will be removed from them, causing further financial and emotional problems. In addition, the circuit court process is time consuming, as cases are held over for months on end, by which time the victim has lost the will to proceed. During this waiting period, the offender is still at home and the victim is forced to deal with him or her on a daily basis. There is a general lack of awareness about Victim Impact Statements, and some respondents report that they are seldom done properly and therefore are not useful during sentencing. In addition, information about the judicial system is not widely available in Inuktituk. Inadequate Correctional Programs Respondents note that fines are usually paid by the wife and probation orders are hard to monitor as the social workers responsible for them are overworked. At any rate, there is lack of trust in the correctional system as most men who are incarcerated, fined or placed on probation return to the community, or remain in the community, and continue beating their wives and/or committing other crimes. Service providers note that some incarcerated men return to their communities with increased levels of violence and confusion. Respondents who have been the victims of crime report that there are often welcome home parties for men who have committed serious and violent crimes. This does not inspire the victim’s confidence in either the judicial or correctional system, let alone in her community. 2.3.4 Summary of Formal, Informal and Traditional Victim Services in NunavutThe inventory of Nunavut service providers in Appendix B[29] gives the most complete picture of the formally structured services currently available to victims in Nunavut. There is, at this time, only one formal community-based victim assistance program. The Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre in Rankin Inlet runs this program. The Qikiqtaaluk (Baffin) Regional Agvvik Society through their women’s shelter in Iqaluit, Qimaavik, has run an additional part-time victim services program in the past. However, due to high staff turnover and lack of funding, this program is temporarily suspended. There are six emergency shelters for assaulted women and children in Nunavut. Only two shelters, those in Iqaluit and in Rankin Inlet, have the resources, in terms of staff and service referral options, to help women and children make the transition to independent living. In any case, independent living is not necessarily the first choice of the victimized women they serve. Shelter workers report that, at least when the violence is in its early stages, women wish to return to their partners, hopeful that he will stop assaulting them. At any rate, the private and public housing options available to women wishing to leave relationships are almost non-existent. For the vast majority of women, there is nowhere to go but home. Nunavut service providers, providing a formally structured service in schools, health centres, social services, counselling and addictions programs, Friendship Centres, homeless shelters, elder’s centres, wellness centres, churches, crisis lines, policing, adult education centres, community justice committees and through the Crown Prosecutor Victim/Witness Assistance Program are well aware that they are providing logistical, emotional and practical services to victimized people, although their services are not specifically mandated to do so. These challenges, as discussed above, include lack of community support for victims and caregivers, lack of understanding of victimization, lack of infrastructure and resources, lack of information and difficulty with access to the criminal justice system and the difficulties of working with large numbers of victimized people. In summary, formal service providers report that they need a great deal more trained staff to meet the demands of the victimized adults, children, teenagers and elders they serve. In addition, they report the need for greatly increased services at the community level in the areas of cultural identity and traditional skill development, family and individual counselling and treatment, academic upgrading and employment training, housing, life skills that prepare people to live in both cultures, supports to parents of traumatized children, crisis intervention services, including more shelters for women, and the introduction of shelters for children and teenagers.[30] Most formally structured services available to victimized people in Nunavut attempt to take advantage of the existing informal support networks and traditional approaches to intervention available in their particular community. Many schools are including elders as traditional skills teachers, and advisors, in their programming with students. Local Inuit women, locally trained in counselling, crisis intervention and the dynamics of addictions, family violence and child sexual abuse staff the women’s shelters. Each women’s shelter, addictions program, counselling and wellness centre, and adult education centre attempts to enlist the aid of elders and other community members who can provide trips out onto the land, teach traditional skills and provide emotional support. The two Friendship Centres and the municipal recreational services in Nunavut also attempt to bridge the gaps in formal and informal services by offering programs that bring elders and youth together in traditional cultural and land-based programs. The churches are also bridging existing gaps as they have more informal access to community people and appear to work hard, judging by inventory results, supporting people in their recovery efforts. Church membership gives many people an additional group of people to include in their personal, informal support network. In terms of informal and traditional services to victims, it would appear from the inventory results and from the consultation process undertaken during this research, that informal and traditional supports to victims would not, on their own, provide the level of support to victimized people that would allow them to both recover and make life affirming choices for themselves and their children. If safety, emotional and practical support, informed choice and personal control are the hallmarks of services to victims then the option of offering only informal and traditional services to victimized people becomes questionable. This is especially true given the endemic nature of victimization in Nunavut and the possibility that some of the current victimization patterns did not occur in pre-contact Inuit culture. Moreover, as reported in the previous section and in this section, informal and traditional services are largely dependent on the attitudes in each community towards victimized people. In those communities where blaming of victims and ‘forgiveness’ of violent behaviour are still perceived as necessary for survival, there are limited informal assistance options available to victims. As long as denial, secrecy, blaming and shaming serve an important role in individual, family and community survival they will not disappear. Severely limited employment, housing, income, education, training, counselling, treatment and independence options will continue to make these behaviours ‘useful’ in the struggle for emotional and practical survival. However, in those communities where there is, or always has been, a greater ability to support victimized people, due to favourable local circumstances in terms of resources and attitudes, the traditionally close informal network of personal relationships can play an important role in terms of services to victims. [27] Pressure to remain silent and not report the violence is a common phenomenon among highly victimized people everywhere, especially in circumstances where few resources exist. This phenomenon was discussed earlier in section 2.2.3, “Traditional and Existing Informal Victim Services in Nunavut.” [28] The one exception is Sedna, NWT/Nunavut Family Violence Prevention Workers Association. This is discussed above in section 2.3.3 under “Women’s Shelters.” [29] See also Victim Services in the Territories: A Compilation of Contacts and Resources, Mary Beth Levan, Ottawa: Policy Centre for Victim Issues and Research and Statistics Division, Department of Justice Canada, 2002. [30] The specific recommendations of Nunavut service providers are included in section 2.5, “Recommendations for Victim Services in Nunavut.” |
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| Last Updated: 2005-10-22 |  |
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