Zero tolerance for violence in Nunavut?

This letter is in support of Jack Anawak’s letter to the editor, a couple of weeks ago, challenging our members of the Legislative Assembly to speak out and establish zero-tolerance for violence against women.

On Oct. 31, 2006 I read in the Globe and Mail, an article by Kirk Makin, justice reporter, that “residents of the Canadian North are three times more likely to be victims of sexual assault, physical assault or robbery than their southern counterparts — yet they are no more likely to report these crimes to police, a Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics study has found.”

The traditional Inuit culture taught against wife beating. My father taught me “never to beat your wife.” My father was a very wise and knowledgeable elder in the outpost of Naujaat-Repulse Bay in the 1950s and 1960s.

I disagree with my fellow-Inuit who say, it is in our culture to beat women. I ask, where in the world, did you grow up?

Nunavut society must make a greater effort to address the issue of physical violence against women and the reasons behind the anger that is expressed in this way.

The Inuit leadership, members of the Legislative Assembly, Nunavut Tunngavik Inc., and regional Inuit organizations should begin talking about this and finding ways to stop it. Municipal leaders should also talk about it and discuss ways to stop it at the community level.

Those of us who are sitting on the sidelines can speak about it publicly, but the leadership of Nunavut, should have the guts to discuss it and only you have the authority to help stop it.

This issue is about rights of individuals. No one has a right to live in fear for the rest of his or her lives. No one has a right to bully another person. Our elected leaders should start making members’ statements inside the Legislative Assembly to establish a zero-tolerance for violence against women.

The creation of Nunavut was to have helped reduce stress for all residents of Nunavut. It seems things have changed from the original dream of Nunavut.

Peter Irniq
Ottawa, Ont.