WUNRN
The Inuit
are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Greenland, Canada, the United
States, and Russia. The
Inuit live throughout most of the Canadian
Arctic and subarctic in the territory of Nunavut; "Nunavik" in
the northern third of Quebec; "Nunatsiavut"
and "Nunatukavut"
in Labrador;
and in various parts of the Northwest Territories, particularly around
the Arctic
Ocean. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuit
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Pauktuutit
fosters greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women, advocates for equity and
social improvements, and encourages their participation in the community,
regional and national life of Canada. Pauktuutit leads and supports Canadian
Inuit women in policy development and community projects in all areas of
interest to them, for the social, cultural, political and economic betterment
of the women, their families and communities.
Health
Inuit in
Canada live in 53 remote isolated communities spread across four geographic
regions of the Canadian Arctic. Most Inuit communities are served by a nursing
station only and accessing hospital and/or specialized services can require
travelling thousands of miles by air from home to larger centres such as
Iqaluit, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Ottawa, Montreal or St. John’s.
Inuit still
have a much lower life expectancy than other Canadians, with a gap of 10 years
for Inuit men in Nunavik compared to southern non-Aboriginal Canadians. Rates
of infant mortality are still relatively high, and suicide rates in some
regions are up to nine times the national average. Other health disparities
include higher rates of chronic illness and infectious disease, heart disease,
diabetes, and respiratory illness. The rates of tuberculosis rates for Inuit
doubled between 2006 and 2010 to 185 times the rate among non-Aboriginal
Canadians. Many of these issues are an outcome of poor socioeconomic conditions
in Inuit communities as indicated by high poverty rates, low levels of
educational attainment, limited employment opportunities, and inadequate and
overcrowded housing conditions. The high birthrate, resulting in over 50 per
cent of the Inuit population now being under the age of 25 has significant
health policy and program implications.
Improving
the health status of Inuit women and their families has been a priority since
Pauktuutit’s incorporation in 1984. For example, traditional midwifery was
replaced by the imposition of the western medical model in the 1950s and ‘60s,
and for some time this knowledge was at risk of being lost forever. Presently
many Inuit women still have to leave their homes and families to deliver babies
in hospital settings although there is now a resurgence of and increased
support for Inuit midwifery in several regions. The Territories have the
highest rates of violence in the country, meaning that for Inuit women violence
and abuse are significant physical and mental health issues. Sexual health and
family planning are current issues for the Board and staff.
In response
to direction provided by its membership and Board of Directors, Pauktuutit has
implemented numerous successful health prevention and promotion projects on
issues including maternal child health and midwifery, tobacco cessation,
HIV/AIDS, substance abuse, FASD, early childhood development, injury
prevention, health research and others. Raising awareness and building the
capacity of Inuit to deliver health programs is an important part of the work
of the health department at Pauktuutit.
Pauktuutit’s work on health is also intended to influence policy and program development to better meet the needs of Inuit women and their families, as well as developing plain language bilingual information resources for use by individuals, front line workers and health care professionals. It uses a population health approach with a holistic view to addressing the social determinants of health including language, culture and gender as central considerations. Pauktuutit considers the unique needs and priorities of women, men, elders and youth in its policy and project initiatives.
Abuse
Prevention
Violence and abuse prevention have been among Pauktuutit’s top three priorities since 1984.
It has only been two generations since Inuit in Canada were moved into permanent settlements, which caused the erosion of traditional culture, knowledge, practices, lifestyles and roles within the family and community. Traditionally the roles of women and men were equally valued and were equally important to the survival of families and communities, and of Inuit as a people. Inuit women took great pride in making warm waterproof clothing and footwear for men, who often hunted far away from home for long periods for food and skins for their family’s survival and were highly valued for their skills and traditional environmental knowledge.
It was women who were responsible for maintaining their families and social order while the men were away. While there were many challenges and times of great hardship, there were strong bonds of kinship and greater equality between the genders. Children were revered by their families and communities.
The imposition of western models of governance, education and health and social service delivery, along with the introduction of the wage economy, has dislocated many men and women from their traditional roles. Many men felt dislocated from their traditional roles of hunter and provider, and more and more Inuit women are entering the workforce and may be the primary financial providers for their families.
As the result of the experiences of forced attendance at Residential Schools, many children were prevented from learning about positive parenting from their own parents and have difficulty parenting their own children as adults. Contemporary social conditions such as inadequate and overcrowded housing, high rates of unemployment and poverty, low educational attainment, food insecurity and more contemporary problems such as substance abuse and the highest rates of suicide in the country have contributed to Inuit regions having the highest rates of violence in the country. Most communities are without specialized counselling and support services to address unresolved intergenerational trauma, which is a major mental health issue among Inuit.
Inuit communities continue to report the need for crisis and long-term counselling, safe shelters, second-stage housing and training of Inuit front-line workers in order to address these issues. Mental health has been identified as the primary health issue facing Inuit, including issues related to violence, abuse and unresolved trauma, but the lack of sustained resources has meant that change is painfully slow.
Women, and children, who are experiencing violence and abuse in their homes often have no place in their community to seek safety. More than 70 per cent of the 53 Inuit communities across the Canadian Arctic do not have a safe shelter for women, and often the homes of family and friends are overcrowded. A plane ticket to another community may cost thousands of dollars, which is out of reach for most particularly in times of crisis. For Inuit women, this can mean there can be literally nowhere to go to find safety, and many women have lost their lives to family violence.
With the guidance and support of Pauktuutit’s Board of Directors and membership, the organization takes on various projects on an annual basis to address family violence, including the sexual abuse of children. Previous projects have included developing bilingual plain language resources such as safety plans for women in remote communities, and raising awareness of the issue generally. Other activities have included developing a network of Inuit shelter directors and training and resource materials for shelter workers in Inuit communities. Pauktuutit’s resources, such as models for developing community action plans to address violence, are intended to be used and/or adapted by communities and regions to suit their own needs and priorities. More recently Pauktuutit has begun to address the issue of elder abuse in Inuit communities, murdered and missing Inuit women and has been increasing its outreach to youth through partnerships with organizations such as BluePrintForLife.
At the policy level, Pauktuutit works with a range of government partners including but not limited to Status of Women Canada, Justice Canada, the Government of Nunavut and the Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime to develop strategies and interventions intended to reduce the incidence of violence against Inuit women and children. In 2011, staff met with the federal interdepartmental working group on family violence to raise awareness of the unique circumstances and priorities of Inuit women on this critical issue.
Pauktuutit’s work is grounded in the guiding principles of a collaborative and holistic approach that includes women, children, families, and communities. An example of this strength of this is working with and seeking the guidance of elders, Inuit organizations and subject-matter experts who form our advisory committees. Pauktuutit’s abuse prevention team is a small group of dedicated individuals with a broad range of subject-matter expertise. The team, although not service providers, are in touch with many on-the-ground personnel and develop close ties in the community. The Board of Directors has championed many abuse prevention initiatives and provides guidance, regional perspectives and subject matter expertise. Pauktuutit’s work on family violence and child sexual abuse would not be possible without the commitment and support of many partners.