New Nunavut law addresses family abuse

An act to deal with abusive family situations was passed without opposition by the Nunavut legislature Tuesday.

The Family Abuse Intervention Act includes tools to remove abusive people from the home as well as ways to help elders, relatives and community members work with families to resolve problems.

Premier Paul Okalik, who is also the justice minister, says Nunavummiutdeserve to live in homesfree of violence and he hopes this act will help make that a reality.

Iqaluit Centre MLA Hunter Tootoo says the suffering of elders, children and others from abuse needs to be addressed.

"These cowardly acts of violence, to me, regardless of excuses, is not acceptable," Tootoo said.

"We need to really, really toughen things up to make sure that we can do what we can."

Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council president Kathy Hanson, whose group pushed for the new law,wassurprised it went through the legislature so smoothly.

However,there is still a lot of work to be done to deal with the territory's soaring violence rates, she says.

"We need to make sure that everybody is trained on counselling, the police are on hand, and counsellors are on hand, JPs are on hand, right away," Hanson said.

Her group will make sure the act is enforced, she says.

The minister responsible for Qulliit Nunavut Status of Women Council, Leona Aglukkaq, says the high rates of abuseare unacceptable.

"It's sad day in Nunavut when we have accomplished so much through our land claim, through our new territory and our new government, when women continue to fight for the basic human right and that's to live safely in our society," Aglukkaq said.