Throughout our work in addressing family violence,
we strive to return our people to a time where everyone had
a place in the circle and was valued. Recovering our identity
will contribute to healing ourselves; our healing will require
its to rediscover who we are. We cannot look outside for our
self-image.
We need to rededicate ourselves to understanding
our traditional ways. In our songs, ceremonies, language and
relationships lie the instructions and directions to recovery.
We must avoid a pan-Indian [one size fits all]
approach. The issues of violence in our communities are diverse
and so are our own cultural ways. It will be a long journey
to recovery. The East, South, West and North all must develop
their own process of healing - as must urban areas and reserve.
This must be done if we are to return once more to a people
without violence."1
The Aboriginal people have defined family violence
"as a consequence to colonization, forced assimilation, and
cultural genocide; the learned negative, cumulative, multi-generational
actions, values, beliefs, attitudes and behavioural patterns
practised by one or more people that weaken or destroy the harmony
and well-being of an Aboriginal individual, family, extended
family, community or nationhood."2
What is Family Violence3
Family Violence takes many forms:
Physical abuse is any physical act intended
to harm, injure or inflict pain oil another person, including
slapping, punching, burning, kicking, biting, pushing, hair-pulling,
choking, shoving hitting, with ail object, threatening with
an object such as a knife or gun, and any action that causes
physical harm to another person.
Psychological violence involves the abuse
of power and control over another person. It includes inducing
fear by intimidating, terrorizing or threatening, humiliating,
insulting, degrading, destroying property, isolating a pet-son
from friends and family and withholding emotions of love, or
caring.
Sexual abuse includes all acts of' unwanted
Sexual attention or exploitation, including inappropriate touching
or molesting, exposing a victim to pornographic materials, Sexual
assault with an object, forced bondage, date rape, gang rape,
rape within an intimate relationship and sexual harassment.
Child sexual abuse is any sexual contact
inflicted oil a child and includes all acts described above
tinder Sexual Abuse.
Incest is any form of sexual contact or
attempted sexual contact between relatives, no matter how distant
the relationship.
Financial abuse is any act which involves
the deceitful or immoral use of another person's money or belongings
(for example, the misappropriation of resources, using another
person's money or resources to exert power and control over
them, taking pension money or other forms of family support,
forcing parents to provide free child care, denying one's family
of money for food or shelter).
Spiritual abuse entails the erosion or
breaking down of one's cultural or religious belief system.
An individual can be subjected to various types
of abuse by the same abuser.
What Some Aboriginal Communities are Doing
to Address Family Violence
-
Native Child and Family Services of Toronto
offers a Sexual Abuse Treatment Program which combines Native
healing with contemporary social work practice. An evaluation
of the program concluded that the women and children who
participated were able to develop a stronger sense of themselves
as Native people and that this was a positive path toward
healing and recovery from the effects of their abuse.
-
The Mid-Island Tribal Council on Vancouver
Island, British Columbia represents several bands in small
rural communities, in the area around Chemainus, British
Columbia. It has developed a perspective that defines family
violence as a community problem, not just an individual
or family problem. The Council established a Family Development
Program to integrate and link existing services to families
find to respond to community needs. The program was designed
to address the issue of family violence as well as facilitate
healing among it's victims in a culturally appropriate way.
-
The Mi'kmaq First Nation Communities of Nova
Scotia have developed programs to address family violence
with the goal of encouraging women and children who experience
violence to develop and practise a peaceful and healthful
lifestyle. They operate a shelter for women and children,
and provide outreach services for men, a crisis telephone
service, group and individual counselling and community
education for Aboriginal people in Nova Scotia.
-
There are many other Aboriginal communities
that have developed programs and community-based responses
to the problem of family violence. Education and awareness
programs have often led to the development of treatment,
programs and other services for victims, offenders, families
and communities.
Incidence of Family Violence
There are no national studies providing information
on the prevalence or incidence of family violence in Aboriginal
communities. However, several provincial and regional studies
have found the following:
- A 1989 study by the Ontario Native Women's Association
found that 8 out of 10 Aboriginal women in Ontario had personally
experienced family violence. Of those women, 87 % had been
injured physically and 57 % had been sexually abused.4
-
In some northern Aboriginal communities,
it is believed that between 75% and 90% of women are battered.5
The Study found that 40 % of children in these communities
had been physically abused by a family member.6
-
Little is known about the incidence of abuse
of older adults, of people with disabilities, and of the
homosexual population in Aboriginal communities. However,
abuse of older adults has been identified as a serious problem
in some First Nation communities.7
Factors Contributing to Family Violence
According to Sharlene Frank, in a 1991 study by
the Aboriginal Nurses Association of Canada, formerly the Indian
and Inuit Nurses of Canada) it was found that the three reading
factors which sustained family violence were alcohol and substance
abuse, economic problems and intergenerational abuse.8
Paths for Healing
The roots of this problem are deep and have a
long history. The loss of Aboriginal culture and tradition rendered
many Aboriginal people, both men and women., powerless and dependent.
Acknowledging the root of the problem will empower individuals,
families and communities to address the issue.
It must be understood by Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal
people alike that family violence is not part of traditional
Aboriginal culture and is unacceptable.
Solutions must be holistic. That means looking
at the "individual in the context of the family; the family
in the context of the community; the community in the context
of the larger society"9, as well as the relationship
of all things to one another.
Solutions must be community-driven. This means
that decisions have to be made by and within the community,
however that community is defined. A generic model will not
work in the diversity of Aboriginal communities.10
All programs and organizations designing and delivering
programs and services must acknowledge the impact of the past
and the need for healing individuals, families and communities.
Communities must focus on the healing of individuals,
families and communities as a whole and seek to overcome the
past.
Everyone has a responsibility for eliminating
family violence in Aboriginal communities. The first step in
the process, whether for an individual, family or Community,
is to break the silence and acknowledge that there is a problem.
Existing Aboriginal governments and organizations
must develop innovative, culturally appropriate solutions, rather
than adapting existing programs and services that may not address
the underlying causes of family violence in Aboriginal communities.
Existing program and service delivery agencies
that provide services to Aboriginal people must train their
staff to be culturally sensitive and must integrate Aboriginal
traditions and service providers as part of their program delivery
systems.
Aboriginal governments, organizations, service
delivery agencies, caregivers, Elders, healers and service providers
must themselves be healed if they are to heal others. They must
not abuse their trust, traditions or position of respect in
the fulfilment of their responsibilities.
Aboriginal organizations and governments must
embrace the urgent need to heal communities and to rid them
of family violence, alcoholism, suicide and other such forms
of social malaise.
The uniqueness of each individual and of each
community must be respected.
When dealing with individual victims of violence,
it is important to understand that victims must deal with a
multitude of issues. For example:
-
their resources may be very limited; their
support system may be in the very community in which they
live;
-
their perpetrator could be an important member
of the community;
-
suspicion about the justice system may discourage
many Aboriginal people from seeing it as an option
-
victims are loath to put a perpetrator in
a system that is viewed as racist;
-
many victims, in cases of spousal violence
fear police will take their children; and,
-
finally, in many instances there are no culturally
appropriate services.
The centre of Aboriginal communities is the family;
consequently, Aboriginal people may seek treatment for the whole
family in the case of family violence. Thus, treatment of the
offender, independent of the family, is not always the preferred
approach.
"Our strength is in our visions and dreams,
our ability to interpret the songs, dances of the earth, sky,
spirit worlds, If we can remember our purpose, we will survive."11
Suggested Reading
Breaking the Silence, An Interpretive Study
of Residential School Impact and Healing as illustrated
by the stories of First Nations individuals, Ottawa: Assembly
of First Nations, 1994.
Changing the Landscape: Ending Violence Achieving
Equality: Final Report of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against
Women, by Pat Freeman Marshall and Marthe Asselin Vaillancourt.
Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada, 1993.
Family Violence in Aboriginal Communities:
A First Nations Report, by Sharlene Frank. Victoria:
Queen's Printer (Ministry of Women's Equity; Taskforce on Family
Violence) 1992.
Language, Tradition, Health, Lifestyle and
Social Issues: 1991 Aboriginal Peoples Survey by
Statistics Canada (Ottawa: Statistics Canada, 1993), (Cat. No.
89- 533).
Mid-Island Tribal Council Family Development
Program, Project Manual, by Jackie Major and Luce Carrier.
Chemainus, B.C.: Mid-Island Tribal Council, 1995 - P.O. Box
270, Chemainus, B.C., V0R 1K0, (604) 246-2729.
Mooka'am Sexual Abuse Treatment Program
- Program Description and Planning Guidelines, by
Frank Maidman and Merle Beedie. Toronto: Native Child and Family
Services of Toronto, 1994 - 101-22 College Street, Toronto,
Ontario, M5G 1K2, (416) 969-8510.
Procedures and guidelines manual: Mi'kmaq Family
Treatment Centre and Program, by the Centre, Nova Scotia:
Mi'kmaq Family and Children's Services Nova Scotia, 1993 -Whycocomagh
First Nation, P.O. Box 310, Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia, B0E 3M0,
(902) 756-3440.
Report of-the Aboriginal Justice Inquiry of
Manitoba, 2volumes by A.C. Hamilton and C.M. Sinclair
(Commissioners). Winnipeg: Public Inquiry into the Administration
of Justice and Aboriginal People, 1991.
A Resource Guide on Family Violence Issues
for Aboriginal Communities, by David McTimoney. Ottawa:
Health Canada, Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development,
1994.
"Violence in Aboriginal Communities." In Royal
Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, The Path to Healing,
by Emma D. LaRocque. Ottawa: Canada Communications Group,
1994.
Suggested Audio-Visuals
Children of the Eagle
This video is about the healing of three sexually
abused Aboriginal children. The eagle symbolizes the bravery,
leadership and wisdom that the community has to muster in order
to deal with their children's crisis.
Purchase inquiries:
Peigan Child and Family Services,
P.O. Box 3129,
Brockett, Alberta,
T0K 0H0
(403) 965-2390.
Beyond the Shadows
This documentary explores the devastating effects
residential schools have had on First Nations communities in
Canada. The video tells the history of these government-mandated
schools, the painful personal stories of abuse and the resulting
'multi-generational grief', and it describes how First Nations
communities have begun the process of healing.
Purchase inquiries:
Cariboo Tribal Council
P.O. Box 4333
Williams Lake, B.C.
V2G 2V4
(604) 392-7361.
Richard Cardinal: Cry from a Diary of
a Metis Child
A moving tribute to Richard Cardinal, a seventeen-year
old Metis boy who committed suicide in 1984. Richard had been
taken from his home when he was four because of family problems;
he spent the next thirteen years moving in and out of twenty-eight
foster homes, group homes and shelters in Alberta. Richard left
behind a diary upon which this film is based.
Purchase inquiries:
National Film Board of Canada,
Sales and Customer Services,
P.O. Box 6100, Station Centre-ville,
Montreal, Quebec,
H3C 3H5.
Internet Address: http://www.nfb.ca
Endnotes
-
Sylvia Maracle, "A Historical Viewpoint"
in Vis-à-Vis (Family Violence: Aboriginal
Perspectives) Spring, 1993, Vol. 10, No. 4, p. 4.
-
The Aboriginal Family Healing Joint Steering
Committee, For Generations To Come: The Time is Now:
A Strategy for Aboriginal Family Healing (Sylvia Maracle,
Barbara Craig, co-chairs (Ontario: the Committee, 1993)
p. 10
-
Department of Indian Affairs and Northern
Development, Basic Departmental Data-1992, cited in the
Final Report of the Canadian Panel on Violence Against Women,
Changing the Landscape: Ending Violence Achieving
Equality (Ottawa: Supply and Services Canada, 1993),
p. 149.
-
Ontario Native Women's Association, Breaking
Free: A Proposal for Change to Aboriginal Family Violence
(Thunder Bay: Ontario Native Women's Association, 1989).
pp. 18- 19.
-
Claudette Dumont-Smith, and Pauline Sioui-Labelle,
National Family Violence Survey: Phase I (Ottawa:
Indian and Inuit Nurses of Canada, 1991.) p.18. Quoted in
Dragging Wife Abuse Out of the Closet. (Wetaway News,
Nov. 1989).
-
Claudette Dumont-Smith, and Pauline Sioui-Labelle,
National Family Violence Survey: Phase
I (Ottawa: Indian and Inuit Nurses of Canada, 1991) p. 25.
Quoted in Native Counselling Services of Alberta, Report
to the Secretariat on Child Sexual Abuse. (Neilson,
1987).
-
Ontario Advisory Council on Senior Citizens.
Denied Too Long: The Needsand Concerns of Seniors Living
in First Nation Communities in Ontario. (Toronto:
Publications Ontario, 1993).pp. 73-76.
-
Sharlene Frank, Family Violence in Aboriginal
Communities: A First Nations Report (Queen's Printer,
Ministry of Women's Equality, Taskforce on Family Violence,
1992), p. 6.
-
The Steering Committee on Native Mental,
Health (Canada) Agenda ForFirst Nations and Inuit Mental
Health (Ottawa: Health and Welfare Canada, 1991) p.
17.
-
Sharlene Frank, Family Violence in
Aboriginal Communities: A First Nations Report (Queen's
Printer, Ministry of Women' Equality Taskforce on Family
Violence, 1992), p. 1 7.
-
Canadian Council on Social Development, and
the Native Women's Association of Canada, Voices of Aboriginal
Women: Aboriginal Women Speak Out About Violence (Ottawa:
Canadian Council on Social Development, 1991), p. 28.
This document was prepared by Karen Green. The
contributions of the following individuals are gratefully acknowledged:
Rose Moses and Shining Water, Aboriginal Women's Support Centre;
Valerie Pryce, Medical Services Branch, Health Canada; Jackie
Major, Mid-Island Tribal Council; Fred Chafe, Indian and Northern
Affairs Canada; Sandra McKay and Bernie Whiteford, Helping Spirit
Lodge Society, Vancouver, B.C.; Charlene Avalos, Native Child
and Family Services of Toronto; Gina Whiteduck, Assembly of
First Nations; David Allen, Barbara Merriam, Katherine Stewart,
Janice Ireland, Gisèle Lacroix, Velma Guvenc and Katalin
Kennedy, Family Violence Prevention Unit, Health Canada.
For further information on family violence, contact:
National Clearinghouse on Family Violence
Postal Locator 1909D1
Family Violence Prevention Unit
Public Health Agency of Canada
Health Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 1B4
Tel: (613) 957-2938
Toll-free: 1-800-267-1291
Fax: (613) (41-8930
FaxLink: (613) 941-7285
Toll-tree: 1-888-267-1233
TI'Y/TDD users, (613) 952-6396
or toll-free: 1-800-561-5643 |
This publication can be made available in/on computer
diskette/large print/ audio-cassette/braille, upon request.