Aboriginal women and family violence : Femmes autochtones et la violence familiale

The research project on which the report is based studied the attitudes and opinions of Aboriginal women, and the professionals who work with them, on the issue of family violence, specifically intimate partner violence against women.1 This report is a condensed version of the larger report. [...] The use of such resources and services, however, is compromised by: ¾ low awareness of them; ¾ their distance from the home community; ¾ the lack of transportation; ¾ poor relationships with the police; ¾ lack of faith in the effectiveness of the resources; ¾ lack of privacy in communities and the consequent shame about accessing resources; ¾ complex relationships among the victim, the abuser, the [...] This loss is seen to be exacerbated by the related erosion of the traditional role of the male within the community and household, and the legacy of residential schools. [...] They used to get guidance from the elders in the community … now maybe there’s less resources for young married couples … without the elders to go to for the benefit of their wisdom that could be part of the problem as well.” “There’s a lot of foetal alcohol syndrome, and a lot of general poor parenting.” “I definitely think if you grow up seeing that kind of violence in the house, it has more of [...] If you try to get the house, and your husband owes money, you have to pay it first.” 13 Aboriginal Women and Family Violence In the longer term, the women frequently return to the relationship and the home, following a “cooling off period” that is characterized by a temporary shift of power in the relationship (also known as a cyclical “honeymoon” period).