We’re ready to work with RCMP on violence in the North, Pauktuutit says

RCMP open to looking at more Inuit-specific data

By NUNATSIAQ NEWS

Pauktuutit president Rebecca Kudloo says that under her presidency, the organization will continue to lobby for resources to tackle the “immediate need” for services in Inuit communities that are aimed at reducing violence and protecting vulnerable women and children. (FILE PHOTO)


Pauktuutit president Rebecca Kudloo says that under her presidency, the organization will continue to lobby for resources to tackle the “immediate need” for services in Inuit communities that are aimed at reducing violence and protecting vulnerable women and children. (FILE PHOTO)

Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada says it’s ready to work with the RCMP to better understand and prevent the risks of violence faced by Inuit women.

The national organization commended the RCMP for its latest report, released June 19, on missing and murdered Indigenous women, which drew a clear link between homicide and family violence.

The new report, an update to its landmark 2014 study, shows that all Indigenous women who were murdered since 2013 in areas of the country policed by the RCMP were killed by men in their own homes or communities.

But while that initial report was criticized for its absence of Inuit-specific data, Pauktuutit said in a June 19 release that the RCMP is “open” to working with the organization to analyse their data further with a focus on the North.

In a release, Pauktuutit president Rebecca Kudloo thanked the police force for “taking our concerns seriously, and for noting the need to address family violence as a priority.”

That includes the need to address the 70 per cent of communities across the North without emergency shelters for women.

“The RCMP report also underscores the need for more programs and services in our communities to fight the generational effects of residential schools and colonization as an important measure in reducing and preventing violence,” Kudloo said.

Kudloo also commended Nunavut Premier Peter Taptuna, who only recently committed his government’s support for a national inquiry into murdered and missing Aboriginal women.

But, like Pauktuutit, the GN wants to focus on addressing violence at home first.

With the release of the updated report, the RCMP has shifted its efforts on what it calls “vulnerable communities,” including a focus on the prevention of family violence.

The RCMP will do that in Aboriginal communities by rolling out programs to promote healthy lifestyles and substance abuse prevention, the force said June 19.

The RCMP will also launch a domestic violence prevention campaign this fall featuring spokespeople like singer Shania Twain and NHL player Jordin Tootoo.

Police also said that the force has now made it mandatory to reach out and keep in regular communication with the families of victims.

The RCMP’s initial 2014 report found 1,181 recorded cases of murdered and missing Aboriginal women from 1980 to 2012: 1,017 victims of homicide and 164 missing women.

In its updated report, police say there were 32 additional murders of Aboriginal women in 2013 and 2014, and 11 more missing women within the RCMP’s jurisdictions.

Indigenous women in Canada represent 16 per cent of all female homicide in the country, although they only make up four per cent of the overall population.

Pauktuutit now encourages Inuit communities to engage in the RCMP’s Family Violence Initiative, which provides up to $25,000 in funding for non-for-profit projects aimed at reducing family violence.

The RCMP provides police services for the majority of Inuit communities in Inuit Nunangat, excluding the Nunavik region, which has its own police force.

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