NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area

Tags: social sciences, social services, violence, gender roles

Objective(s): To gather data that will guide the development of tools and resources that will engage Inuit men and boys and will reduce the levels of violence prevalent in Inuit communities.

Project Description: For the Survey Component, Pauktuutit seeks to gather data that will guide the development of tools and resources that will engage Inuit men and boys and will reduce the levels of violence prevalent in Inuit communities. The survey will seek to gauge Inuit attitudes about gender roles, about different forms of violence, and the types of information and services that will resonate among Inuit. Interest is in what knowledge is held about existing services and laws, and about how best to engage Inuit in a dialogue about the various forms of violence in their communities. It will be important to determine the gender and age differences in knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors. The survey will not measure personal experiences or the incidence rates of violence and sexual assault. The analysis will rely on the results of the Inuit Health Survey conducted in 2007-2008. At best, the survey will inquire about having witnessed violence incidents and whether the respondent intervened directly, called the police, and/or whether they understood what was typically involved when the police are involved. The research participants will be asked to meet at a designated place and time in their community for the administration of the survey instrument. Prior to receiving copies of the survey, individual consent forms will be circulated and must be signed and dated by potential candidates. Participants will retain the right to withdraw from the project at any time. Subjects will have two options when completing the survey: (1) they can participate in a group format and walk through the survey questions together under the guidance of a facilitator, or (2) they can complete the survey on their own. Though the survey questions have been developed to avoid incriminating questions, controversy, and traumatic memories of violence or abuse, the group format will include counsellors who can provide emotional support. As a national organization, Pauktuutit’s membership includes all Inuit women and girls across Canada. This includes not only the four Inuit regions, but also the 20 per cent of the population who now live in urban centers such as Edmonton, Winnipeg, Ottawa, Montreal, and St. John ’s. Pauktuutit has significant reach to small and isolated Inuit communities by developing Inuit-specific tools and resources that can be used by all communities. The Pauktuutit logo and branding of its resources are seen by Inuit as an indication of relevant and credible information that is more likely to be used rather than southern/mainstream initiatives such as the White Ribbon Campaign. Pauktuutit’s projects are holistic and benefit women, their families, and the community as a whole. These factors will greatly enhance the uptake and effectiveness of the final products of this project. The resulting survey data and resulting reports will be the intellectual property of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada. Essentially, the data will be owned by all Inuit women of Canada. The project reports may be made available on Pauktuutit’s website. Optionally, individuals can contact Pauktuutit’s project managers directly to request a copy of the project reports. The results of the surveys will inform the development of a toolkit that targets Inuit men and boys about violence and abuse. Additional awareness resources also will be developed. These products will be distributed to all Inuit communities. In general, the research results will be returned to the communities in the form of practical tools and resources. The fieldwork for this study will be conducted from December 5, 2014 to December 31, 2014.