Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. First of all, I would like to lend support and congratulate the women's groups who have come to have this very serious area of our life-style addressed.

Violence against women, children, the elderly and disabled, is a serious problem, not just in the Northwest Territories but throughout the country. During the past ten years, a number of documents have been produced by the Government of the Northwest Territories and women's groups, contributing to our greater awareness of the problem.

In 1984, the Minister responsible for the Status of Women approved the establishment of the task force on spousal assault, which resulted in the production of a document entitled "Choices - A Three Year Action Plan to Address Spousal Assault."

In 1989, the Native Women's Association published "Communities Voice on Child Sexual Abuse."

In 1991, Pauktuutit published "No More Secrets: Acknowledging the Problem of Child Sexual Abuse in Inuit Communities."

Also in 1991, the special advisor on gender equality submitted a report to the Minister of Justice regarding treatment of women by the justice system. In May 1993, the Native Women's Association released the paper "Community Self-Evaluation for Family Violence Initiatives" which examines the effectiveness of the Government of the Northwest Territories programs to address family violence in the Northwest Territories.

In addition to these documents, there have been numerous conferences and workshops dealing directly and indirectly with family violence issues.

The awareness of family violence and its consequences has been steadily growing at the community level, and in many ways, provides the momentum for the discussion we're having here, today. Right now in the Northwest Territories, there are eight safe shelters funded jointly by the territorial and federal governments. These shelters provide a safe environment for battered women and children, a facility for counselling and a resource centre for women's groups. Child sexual abuse counsellors have been placed in most regions in the Northwest Territories, and these services are helping children deal with the trauma of their experiences.

But there is still much to be done, and we acknowledge that. The north has the highest violent crime rate in the country, and this rate is increasing faster than the national rate. An effective strategy to eliminate violence in the Northwest Territories is required. Hopefully, the discussion of family violence issues in this Legislative Assembly will motivate leaders throughout the Northwest Territories to take a stand against family violence. Only by making violent behaviour socially and culturally unacceptable can we expect to improve difficult situations we face.

Residents of the Northwest Territories don't have to look very far to see how painfully acute this problem is, not only here but in the national media, particularly in the face of the multitude of dollars that we use to try to run away from our particular situation. As an example, I would cite Mr. Michael Jackson.

If a society firmly and consistently does not tolerate family violence, then there's hope that one day we'll be able to answer the desperate pleas for help among all of us.

I urge all Members of the Legislative Assembly, and I thank the delegation here today, that we can openly discuss this issue and perhaps come to some solutions that we can help each other solve some of the many problems. Thank you.

Presentation By Pauktuutit