Pauktuutit: RCMP need Northern strategy to combat violence against women
National group representing Canada's Inuit women says RCMP report doesn't include Inuit-specific statistics
Pauktuutit, a national non-profit organization representing Inuit women in Canada, says it wants to work with the RCMP to focus efforts to reduce violence and help missing and murdered indigenous women in the North.
Last Friday, the RCMP released a 2015 update to last year's report on missing and murdered indigenous women. In a news release, Pauktuutit says it commends the RCMP for their commitment to addressing the issue. However, it also points out that the report doesn't include data specific to Inuit.
"The RCMP provides police services for the majority of Inuit communities in Inuit Nunangat, and is open to working with Pauktuutit to analyze their data further with a focus on the North," reads the release.
Rebecca Kudloo, Pauktuutit's president, says the report also underscores the need for more programs and services to reduce family violence, something that needs to be specifically tuned to unique needs in Northern communities.
"There is a lack of shelters in Inuit Nunangat," she says. "In Baker Lake, it's been -50 quite a lot of times. How does a woman being abused get away and be safe with her kids at that temperature?
"Those are realities in the North. We need Inuit specific programs that suit us, and that [are] going to help us for the future."
In the release, Pauktuutit also suggests Inuit communities take advantage of the RCMP's Family Violence Prevention Initiative. Under the Initiative, non-profit organizations and hamlets could receive up to $25,000 for projects designed to reduce family violence.