Thank you, Mr. Speaker. There is going to be a family violence sexual abuse conference in Fort Simpson next week. It will be held on March 23, 24 and 25. In February, 1991, it was identified by the Department of Social Services and the Fort Simpson Dene band that our communities were being severely impacted by the issue of child sexual abuse. In order to address this, a needs survey was designed and completed in June, 1991. One of the major recommendations from the survey was with regard to education and awareness of child sexual abuse. The needs survey identified that both professionals and community members needed increased education and awareness on this topic. Since a child sexual abuse specialist was hired in our region in December, 1991, there has been a dramatic increase in disclosures.
Increased training for professionals and support for victims and their families has been another area of concern. In January, 1993, the Secretary of State provided funding for the regional aboriginal women's conference to look at the issue of family violence. The Native Women's Association and the Department of Social Services have also provided funding and expertise to deal with this family violence sexual abuse conference in order to follow recommendations from the needs survey.
Mr. Speaker, this is a very important conference which will occur in Fort Simpson. I thought it would be a good idea to inform the Members of this House that we are trying to deal with a social problem in the Fort Simpson region. Mahsi.