And now:[EMAIL PROTECTED] (S.I.S.I.S.) writes:
SEX CRIMES PLAGUE N.W.T.
CBC Website: Posted December 24, 1998
[S.I.S.I.S. note: The following mainstream news article may contain
biased or distorted information and may be missing pertinent facts and/or
context. It is provided for reference only.]
INUVIK, N.W.T.-- With sexual assault the substance of almost half of the
cases its Supreme Court will hear in 1999, the Northwest Territories are
struggling to deal with a disturbing justice and social issue.
Recent statistics show the territories have Canada's highest rate of
sexual assault. Women are seven times more likely to report an sexual
assault. And in the last decade, the number of reported incidents have
almost tripled. Yet sexual assault remains a taboo in its coffee shops, on
its streets -- even in the legislative assembly -- even though women are
being victimized at an alarming rate.
Those who work with sexual assault victims say awareness is growing. But
they still believe there are severe problems when it comes to reporting
this crime in territorial communities. "Because it's such a secret within
the communities, people don't want to talk about it," said Rita Arey,
president of the Territories Status of Women's council. "And when the
offence occurs, it's really a lot of shame, the people feel a lot of
guilt."
Inuvik RCMP Staff Sgt. Leon McAllister, who has worked in the North for
almost 20 years, said many victims don't come forward. But of those who do,
most cases end up in court.
Once in the legal system, the taboo comes into the open. This is hard for
victims to deal with, said Arey. "So it is being presented in your
territorial court docket and so a lot of times, even for that impact, it
scares a lot of victims away. They feel revictimized by the way the justice
system is set up."
Sometimes, it seems, the system and the community goes easier on the
offenders. In the village of Colville Lake, a community of about 90 people,
the chief was twice convicted of sexual assault.
Situations like that leave Brenda Bernhardt McNabb wondering who speaks
for the victims. "They feel like they're very helpless," said the women's
shelter worker. At trial, families of the accused sometimes persecute the
female complainants. That intimidation can spread throughout a community.
Dale Sharkey, program co-ordinator for family counselling in Inuvik, said
until recently, the Crown was loath to put an accused before a jury because
peers inevitably found him not guilty. That much has changed. In the new
year, the territories Supreme Court will hold sexual assault trials
everywhere from Yellowknife to Inuvik to Iqaluit. With one exception, all
cases will be decided by jury.
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In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this material is
distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed
a prior interest in receiving this information for non-profit
research and educational purposes only.
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S.I.S.I.S. Settlers In Support of Indigenous Sovereignty
P.O. Box 8673, Victoria, "B.C." "Canada" V8X 3S2
EMAIL: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
WWW: http://kafka.uvic.ca/~vipirg/SISIS/SISmain.html
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