"Creating a Framework for the Wisdom of the Community:" Review of Victim Services in Nunavut, Northwest and Yukon Territories

3.0 Northwest Territories (cont'd)

3.0 Northwest Territories (cont'd)

3.2 Services Available in Northwest Territories Communities (cont'd)

3.2.2 Inventory Findings (cont'd)

Ongoing Challenges in Victim Service Delivery

While there are a number of successes in victim services delivery, respondents discussed challenges to victim services delivery that still require attention. This description of challenges and gaps in service to victimized people has been compiled from the following sources:

Ongoing challenges were noted in almost all areas. Challenges remain in support for victims and service providers, leadership support and understanding, necessary infrastructure, resources and services, and in the availability of information, difficulties of working with victimized people. In addition, even though there is an increase in appropriate sentencing, there still remain difficulties of working with judicial and correctional systems. Details provided in each of these areas are discussed below.

Lack of Support for Victims and Service Providers

Virtually all respondents described the endemic lack of community and family support for victims and the caregivers and/or service providers who attempt to assist them. They believe that this approach has become an accepted social norm. Some believe this attitude developed as a result of widespread residential school abuse, which brutalized and traumatized entire generations of Aboriginal people in the NWT. Others say that these attitudes have always existed within the traditional Aboriginal cultures of northern Canada. But, whatever their origin, these attitudes have resulted in the lack of support, blaming, intimidation, shaming and shunning of victims, and those who might care for them. Victims fear repercussions on themselves, their children and families if they speak up or seek help or try to leave. They aren’t believed, let alone supported or assisted.

These attitudes tend, according to respondents, to be more prevalent in the smaller remote communities. (As stated elsewhere in this paper, there is a sense among respondents that this negative approach to victimization is shifting in the more major centres.) However, where it exists this attitude has resulted in the silencing of victims, the perpetuation of the cycle of abuse and traumatization through each generation and a perpetual lack of services for victimized people. Some institutions, particularly the church, were pinpointed as perpetuating a ‘blame the victim’ attitude amongst their membership.

Lack of Leadership Support and Understanding

Most respondents referred to the lack of understanding, amongst leadership at all levels of public and First Nation’s governments, about the prevalence of victimization and its overall effect on individuals and families, and on the social fabric of the territory. Some respondents think that there are leaders who do know about the brutalizing effects of intergenerational violence but ignore it. These respondents point out that victimized individuals make easy scapegoats for the community’s problems and keep people from questioning community power imbalances, and the resulting social inequities. Several respondents point out that some of these leaders are abusers themselves. Some have been convicted of assault, and are often later re-elected nonetheless.

Respondents note that family violence, child abuse and assault are not political priorities for most territorial, regional, self-government and municipal leaders. They see most leaders concentrating on economic development (such as the recent diamond, oil and gas boom) to the exclusion of social justice and adequate social and health services.

In addition, there are very few women in positions of political influence in the territory. Respondents note that men at the community, regional and territorial level actively discourage women from running and will work against them if they are elected. Several First Nation women said they had been elected to political positions in their community but were told by the elected men that they had no place in politics and should go home.

Lack of Infrastructure, Resources and Services

The overall lack of resources and services in the NWT was the challenge most mentioned by respondents. Most gave detailed lists of those services most needed, but not available. This lack of resources and services is most acutely felt in smaller communities. All communities, large and small, would like to see more services. But respondents in smaller communities feel this lack has created a major crisis as the tragedies and injustices of the past several hundred years play themselves out in full force in current generations.

These lengthy lists of service gaps included the following:

As a final note in terms of resources and services, respondents stated that those practical services most needed by victimized women and children seem to be taking an increasingly punitive attitude towards their clients. They say that waiting periods and other rules around income support make people desperate and that the income support amounts do not reflect the high cost of living in NWT as they are based on southern prices. In addition, respondents were critical of the negative approaches they say are taken by some health boards towards high-risk mothers. Some non-government agencies have been told their funding will be cut off if they are publicly critical of the actions taken by social workers. While these public services are not designated as "victim services," their clientele are almost exclusively victimized men, women and children. Respondents believe that the unstable and punitive service they receive further victimizes them and makes their recovery impossible.

Lack of Information

According to respondents, despite signs of growing awareness, there is still a lack of information in the general population. The general public and service providers in every sector do not know enough about the resources that do exist; there is limited public and professional information about the dynamics of family violence and child abuse; and there is limited understanding of the needs and circumstances of victimized people. This includes a lack of public understanding of the long-term consequences of victimization and trauma. Moreover, language barriers cause further problems in understanding these issues, as does a sometimes too limited understanding amongst service providers of First Nation, Inuvialuit and Metis cultures.

Difficulties of Working with Victimized People

NWT service providers and caregivers report that working with victimized individuals can be difficult, for a variety of reasons. It is difficult and confusing trying to assist victimized people who also abuse others, including their children. It is hard to help victims who usually have a wide variety of needs that are impossible to meet quickly, if at all. It is hard to help victims who are usually also emotional hostages of their abusers, and can’t picture life on their own. It is difficult to deal with the emotional isolation most victims experience and the ongoing fear for the victim’s safety. It is hard to deal with people who abuse the existing support system. It is hard to help when the victim doesn’t want to leave their community to receive help. It is hard to help when the victim fears the system and fears being re victimized. It is hard to help victims when one is a victim too and hasn’t had healing or training.

Difficulties of Working with Judicial and Correctional Systems

While there are improvements in both the judicial and correctional systems, according to respondents, more work remains to be done in making these criminal justice institutions responsive to victims. Respondents stated that police are not always following their mandatory charging policy in cases of spousal assault. In addition, police do not always act on no-contact orders and probation breaches.

Difficulties noted with the court process is that the process itself is time-consuming and the offender is not supervised while waiting for the court date. Moreover, the victim often has no support through the court process, while the offender appears to have a great deal. Respondents feel that there is limited awareness about Victim Impact Statements, and they noted that victims and their supporters are frustrated when there is no conviction based on lack of evidence.

Victims often do not understand what is happening in court, and there is a language barrier in the courtroom as some victims feel unable to express their feelings and the facts in English, and in ‘court’ language.

A number of specific difficulties with the correctional systems noted were that there is no mandatory counselling for the offender in jail or on probation, there is little supervision of offenders on probation and limited aftercare programs after incarceration or treatment, and there is no safety or support system for victims whose abusers are returning to the community.

Other difficulties noted were that there are not enough lawyers doing family law in the NWT and there is no criminal injuries compensation for victims who need financial help.


[96] Off-reserve funding of safe shelters is different from on-reserve funding. Despite the fact that First Nations people in NWT make up 51% of the population, the NWT does not receive any specialized funding for First Nations safe shelters, unlike safe shelters located on First Nation reservations in southern Canada.