Ending Violence In Aboriginal Communities

All women, simply by virtue of their gender, are potential victims of violence. Moreover, the violence is often directed at them by those whom they have been encouraged to trust. This document provides a definition of violence. It looks at woman abuse in the context of perpetrator-victim relationships, woman abuse in the context of settings, and under-acknowledged forms of violence. It focuses on populations of women experiencing violence and the experience of violence in institutions. It includes a national action plan and discusses the zero tolerance policy.

The impacts of family violence and abuse, not only on the victims, but also on children who live with and witness this phenomenon, on the strength and health of families, and on the well-being of Aboriginal communities and nations are also examined. [...] The second area of work is identifying key community capacities needed to bring about change relative to the determinants of violence and abuse, to develop those capacities, and to apply them strategically and systematically to the work of shifting the status of key determinants. [...] Closely related to the challenge of mapping the complex web of factors that create and sustain domestic violence and abuse at the level of individuals, extended families, community systems, and the socio-environmental context, is the even more perplexing problem of how to transform that web of relationships and conditions in order to stop the violence and abuse. [...] Aboriginal family service program worker, Ontario 3 Introduction Purpose of the Study This study set out to address the following research goals: 1. to develop a generic map of the problem of Aboriginal domestic violence and abuse that simultaneously describes the full nature and extent of the problem and also uncovers the dynamics of family, community, cultural, professional and governmental syst [...] There will be discussions on various definitions, theories and models of domestic violence and abuse (includes both physical and sexual abuse, as well as other methods that abusers use to control and dominate their victims), a portrait of the anatomy of abuse and the known levels of incidence and extent of the problem.

Focuses on family violence, especially sexual assault as it affects native women, teenagers and children.

This report is a condensed version of a research report, prepared by the Ipsos-Reid research firm for Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, on the attitudes and opinions of Aboriginal women, and the professionals who work with them, on intimate partner violence against women. It includes a discussion of the causes and consequences of male violence against women in Aboriginal communities, and of sources of support, resource gaps and recommendations. The report is intended, primarily, for organizations providing assistance to Aboriginal women who have experienced violence.

This study focuses on domestic violence and abuse in Aboriginal communities in Canada. It means to build on studies and intiatives conducted over the past fifteen years by others such as the Ontario Native Women's Association, National Clearing House on Family Violence, Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, and several others. Contributors argue that despite all the study, there are still gaps between what is occurring in relation to domestic violence and abuse in Aboriginal communities and the capacity of these communities and of the agencies that work with them to systematically and effectively address the problem. They argue that one reason for this gap is the lack of clear understanding of the true nature and complexity of domestic violence and abuse in Aboriginal communities as a social phenomenon.