Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, it is Family Violence Awareness Week, and this year's theme is healthy relationships and healthy communication. Events are being held throughout the Northwest Territories, with the one in Yellowknife taking place on October 21st. These events are made possible by the hard work of the Coalition against Family Violence, and I want to thank them for their support of this campaign each year. Their tireless efforts continue to make change for the better throughout our territory, and these efforts do not go unnoticed. Thanks to them, our citizens are now wiser, stronger, and safer.
Mr. Speaker, healthy communication is important for any family, workplace, or community. It is the bedrock of healthy relationships and crucial to supporting a safe society. Family violence is a serious problem, and we need to talk about it and stand against it wherever and whenever we can, because in 2017 we still live in a country where one in three women and one in six men will experience some form of sexual violence in their lifetime. Our own territorial statistics reveal an even more troubling reality, as women in the NWT are nine to 12 times at greater risk of experiencing sexual violence than women in other provinces. Only 5 per cent of victims will report sexual violence to police.
While we recognize this week to raise awareness about this important issue, another important campaign is taking place on the international stage. The #MeToo Campaign is a movement launched on social media by actress Alyssa Milano in response to the serious revelations of sexual abuse in the film and entertainment industry. Within 20 minutes, the campaign had 20,000 replies. The goal of the campaign is to encourage the survivors of sexual assault and abuse to come forward and raise the number of stories to a point where people cannot ignore the problem anymore. Through this campaign, survivors know they are part of a global community that can support and stand beside victims.
Mr. Speaker, the #MeToo Campaign has inspired many women in the Northwest Territories to come forward and share their stories. They are very brave to tell these stories, and their courage allows us to start having real conversations at every level of society, including here in the halls of power.
Mr. Speaker, just look around this Chamber. You will find mostly men, and because of that, we lack the experience and perspectives that many women are sharing through this campaign and in their communities. From all this I know we have to work that much harder to be an ally to women and to support real action against sexual violence. I will continue to speak out against abuse wherever it is found. No one should suffer in silence, afraid to use their voice against those who have taken power away from them. As leaders of our people, we must continue to stand against the epidemic of family violence and recommit our efforts to eliminating it once and for all. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.