"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)

• 3.3 Recommendations for Victim Services in the Northwest Territories

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3.0 Northwest Territories (cont'd)

3.3 Recommendations for Victim Services in the Northwest Territories

The following recommendations for improvements in victim support and services come from a variety of sources as follows:

• service providers, victims of crime, program administrators, caregivers and funders interviewed during this research process (April/May 2002) as recorded in Appendix A (victims of crime interviewees are not included);
• the results of the NWT Victims’ Assistance Conference (March 2001);
• the NWT Status of Women Council publication "Untold Stories of Battered Women" (May 2002); and
• the Social Agenda Conference Report (July 2001).

Recommendations are grouped within the categories of victim assistance programs, public education and community building, training and healing for service providers, community-based program needs, legislation, judicial process, and leadership.

3.3.1 Victim Assistance Programs

• "Victims of sexual assault and family violence need more protection, shelters and more alternatives before the law."
  
• "Differentiate rape and spousal assault … there is no rape crisis centre cause people said there is no rape here before we had shelters."
  
• "We have to create a support team for the victims … we need to help communities set up victim intervention teams made up of older women."
  
• "Victims Assistance workers need to travel with the circuit court and help victims with Victim Impact Statements and give them support."
  
• "We need victim information available in many languages … the Victim Impact Statement should be in all official languages of the NWT."
  
• "We need more programs for victims similar to the Women and Children’s Healing Program at the YWCA."
  
• "Offer programs like they offer to the offender in jail, i.e. healing cognitive development, anger management … make it fair and help them both."
  
• "I feel with a second stage unit they could all support each other and we could help with that … we need a second stage apartment unit for single women."
  
• "Increased affordable housing in Yellowknife … the situation is desperate and affect participation in trauma recovery programs … many women apply to the program from communities but can’t attend due to lack of housing here."

Respondents had long lists of programs and resources they felt were necessary to improving the service to victimized people in the NWT. These recommended services included:

• victim support services, family violence services, advocacy services, women’s shelters and family counselling in each community;
• 24-hour crisis response workers in each community;
• second stage housing in each region for women who need to work towards independent living;
• a territorial sexual assault centre and more services for victims of sexual assault;
• more protection and more alternatives before the law for all victims of crime;
• trauma recovery programs in all regions for women, children and families;
• aftercare programs and follow-up for people who have been incarcerated, or in treatment facilities or at women’s shelters;
• more educational materials for victims (in video format so all can benefit);
• a territorial victims’ needs assessment;
• more staff at Status of Women (3 more) because they act as a resource for victims and victim service providers);
• a victim notification system for when the offender is being released from jail;
• funding support for residential school survivors’ programs;
• addictions counsellors in each community and addictions treatment facilities in each region; ^[97]
• homeless shelters in all regions;
• more public housing in all communities;
• a 1-800 crisis line which is territory wide; and
• a Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund.

3.3.2 Public Education and Community Building

• "We need more advertising, in all languages, on TV, radio and paper … we need constant awareness and education programs using media to change negative ways of thinking."
  
• "There should be NWT-wide awareness and acceptance of the necessity of victim assistance services at all levels … family, school, community, judiciary."
  
• "Hold victims’ conferences, or regional forums, in different communities, ensure all groups who work with victims and survivors are contacted and invited to participate, and give it a higher profile."
  
• "We need more workshops in different communities and to work closely with the young adults and youth which one day they will be our leaders and speak for our communities."
  
• "We need access to our own information … NWT victimization data from Statistics Canada and victim fine surcharge data from FACTS."

Respondents recommend a much more consistent and intense approach to public education around spousal and sexual assault, and child abuse. They recommend school programs, community conferences, regional forums and training workshops for professionals and community-based caregivers. They also recommended intense media campaigns using the existing newspapers, community radio and TV programs.^[98] In this regard, they asked that media campaigns be delivered in all the official languages of the NWT.^[99]

In addition, some respondents said they needed better information from Statistics Canada and the NWT Bureau of Statistics around issues that affect victims of crime.

3.3.3 Training and Healing for Service Providers

• "There should be more training to the RCMP to be more sensitive towards victims."
  
• "A victim advocate program should be developed and delivered at Aurora College."
  
• "We need community-based training for victims services coordinators, volunteers, community caregivers, and victims using local resources … we need to focus on training First Nations people to deliver programs."
  
• "We need to promote a feminist analysis of violence against women and offer feminist counselling to abused women."
  
• "We need education and training on judicial and legal systems … more on courtroom processes and court preparation such as the Victim Impact Statement … Can they be retracted? … do judges alter their sentencing due to VIS? … what impact do VIS have on sentencing? … what are the alternate community justice systems?"
  
• "We lack appropriate training in working with victims in terms of developing trust and confidentiality … we need the skills to work with victims … we have to know how to deal with the trauma of victimization and get on with life … we need to learn how to help victims and clients through their denial and how to listen to them."
  
• "We need more information on funding and who to contact."
  
• "We need a standardized approach to victims services training across the NWT."
  
• "We need to train women’s shelters in administration and have standards and measures in family violence programs so we make evidence-based decisions about programs for victims."
  
• "We need healthy people to be involved, either paid or volunteer."
  
• "We should use the 2 approaches together: western counselling and traditional Aboriginal healing."
  
• I would like to see an evaluation done on community programs … I really see that delivery of programming in some agencies is an issue … they do not do a good job or start it and don’t finish … I think clients need to be included in this evaluation as anyone can make up numbers by counting anyone that drops by or faking the number … victims need to be interviewed and asked questions … put the money elsewhere."

Respondents had many recommendations in the area of training and healing for service providers and caregivers. Most stressed the need for more community-based training for First Nations service providers, which focuses on the advocacy and counselling skills needed to support victimized people. They felt that caregivers needed to be familiar with both western-style counselling methods, including a feminist analysis of violence, as well as traditional First Nations healing approaches. In this regard they recommended some sort of standardized victim services training program, which could potentially be delivered by the territorial college, Aurora College.

In addition, respondents said that criminal justice, policing, judicial and corrections service providers needed more training around victims’ issues, family violence, sexual assault and traumatic reactions. A significant number of respondents asked that more training become available in the area of legal and judicial technicalities and processes, including training in alternative justice initiatives and the Victim Impact Statement.

Respondents say that community agencies need more information about how to access funding and some need training in program administration, evaluation procedures, policy, and program standards. A few respondents with experience in smaller communities feel there has to be increased accountability for how program dollars are spent. They report that victims have sometimes been poorly served by some community service providers and recommend that all community-based programs be more accountable for the funding they receive, and supported to become more responsible in the delivery of their service.

Respondents also saw a substantial need to support caregivers in achieving and maintaining their own healthy lifestyle so they don’t burn out.

3.3.4 Community-Based Programs

• "There need to be more services to victims and abusers, including volunteer caregivers, especially in smaller communities that have limited services."
  
• "We need more community organizations to work together … communities should take a team approach to provide the best service."
  
• "We need more partnerships and community strategy planning teams… we need interagency involvement in victim assistance … all community organizations such as band, hamlet, social services, schools, recreation, police, health and churches."
  
• "We need mobile treatment programs … healing experiences for people in their own environment, their own community."
  
• "We need more services for children … there should be childcare advocates at the women and children’s shelters … more support should be created to prepare children and youth for court (during and after court too) … we need more early childhood intervention programs."
  
• "There should be services for men so the victimization of women and children can stop."
  
• "We need family healing programs with elders, youth, children, parents, grandparents etc."
  
• "Do on the land and cultural programs."

All respondents spoke about the need to develop community-based victim advocacy, support, training, healing and trauma recovery programming. Services are beginning to develop and mature in the larger centres (Yellowknife, Inuvik, Fort Smith and Hay River), but the remaining 26 communities have very limited victim support and recovery options according to respondents. The smallest communities sometimes do not have even basic services such as a community nurse or a policing presence.

The services most needed, according to respondents, are noted earlier under Victims Assistance Programs. However, there are some features of community-based programs as described by respondents that bear highlighting:

• both victims and offenders need community-based healing programs which work together and coordinate their efforts;
• there need to be healing programs which address the needs of the whole family;
• community agencies must work together as a team to develop strategies for community and family recovery, and coordinated programming;
• interagency committees need to be developed in each community, and they should include all community service providers, such as, band council, hamlet council, social services, schools, recreation, police, health services and churches;
• there need to be mobile treatment programs available to communities; ^[100]
• there need to be more early intervention and trauma treatment programs available to children in each community; and
• community-based services should reflect the culture and traditions of those they serve, especially for First Nations, Inuit and Métis people and include a traditional spiritual approach to healing.

3.3.5 Legislation

• "Mandate victim assistance into legislation with ongoing core funding for programs."
  
• "Entrench Victim Rights nationally."
  
• "We need Family Violence legislation, including court orders, so perpetrators cannot drain bank account."
  
• "Amend our Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act so information essential to victim’s safety can be shared by a probation officer with the victim, or with a victim’s agent."
  
• "The Access to Information Act is misunderstood by workers … they tell clients they can’t share information because of the ‘privacy act.’"
  
• "The territorial Victims of Crime Act hasn’t got teeth … it’s time to rewrite it and legislate money towards funding programs"

Respondents had several recommendations in terms of legislation as follows:

• improvements to the Victims of Crime Act to include program funding and legislated assistance to victims of crime;
• the introduction of Family Violence legislation that widens the options available to victims and places greater restraints on abusers; and
• amendments to existing Access to Information and Protection of Privacy acts to ensure that victims and their agents have the information they need about offenders.

3.3.6 Judicial Process

• "There should be consistency in the justice process … follow justice procedures … there should be consistent application of laws that support victims of crime by the Crown, judiciary and RCMP."
  
• "Some judges have thrown out the Victim Impact Statement."
  
• "Judges are not applying the victim surcharge."
  
• ‘Requests for closed court aren’t honoured."
  
• "Police don’t enforce no-contact orders."
  
• "Get away from the adversarial court system."
  
• "Justice committees should be aware of victim assistance programs."
  
• "We need more family law lawyers."

Respondents feel that NWT judicial protocols and processes need to be clarified and followed by the Crown, judiciary, RCMP and others involved in the criminal justice process. In particular, they recommend strict police enforcement of no-contact orders, judicial adherence to policy and protocols around Victim Impact Statements, judicial application of victim surcharge policy and protocols, and judicial adherence to policy and protocols around closed court applications.

Respondents also referred to Community Justice Committees when discussing judicial procedures. Community Justice Committees, and alternative justice procedures, are becoming well established in larger centres but are scattered and have limited participation in many NWT communities. Respondents would like to see these committees functioning in each community, and they recommend that existing committees receive the training they need to form an adequate understanding of victim issues. These committees need to work closely with existing victim assistance programs and other service providers serving victims.

3.3.7 Leadership

• "We should involve elders as advisors … we need more elders to speak out on this issue … committees should meet with the elders of the community and elders should be involved in all decision making."
  
• "There should be a policy of zero tolerance and a code of conduct and oath of office for leaders … we need strong and good leaders for role models."
  
• "Recognize spiritual leaders."
  
• "We need to stop electing abusers."
  
• "We need women in leadership."

As in all northern jurisdictions, respondents had recommendations around improving the quality of leadership in their territory. They would like to see stricter enforced standards for elected officials. And they would like to see more elders and community spiritual leaders in decision-making positions. In particular, they see a need to stop electing abusive individuals and the need to bring more women into leadership positions.

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• [97] There is currently one addictions treatment facility in the NWT.
• [98] Most communities have their own radio station with local announcers and local programming. There is also a northern CBC television station which produces northern (NWT, Yukon and Nunavut) programs. Respondents also recommend using the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN) which is popular in all NWT communities.
• [99] The official languages of the NWT are Chipewyan, Cree, Dogrib, English, French, Gwich’in, Inuinnaqtun, Inuktitut, Inuuialuktun, North Slavey and South Slavey.
• [100] Mobile treatment programs are programs, such as addictions treatment, which come into a community, with staff, for several weeks or a month, to offer intensive recovery and healing opportunities to community members.

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