Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, according to StatsCan's 2019 Family Violence Report, the Northwest Territories has the second-highest rate of all types of family and domestic violence amongst Canadian territories and provinces. Many Northerners have experienced or know someone who has been a victim of domestic violence. The NWT also has the highest rates of sexual violence in the country. Females comprise the majority of those experiencing sexual violence and males represent the majority of perpetrators. Family-related sexual violence is more than five times higher for women and girls than men and boys.
In the Northwest Territories, the rate of family violence reported to the police in 2019 was 9.9 times the national rate and was the second highest in Canada only to Nunavut. We also saw a 28 percent increase in the rate of intimate-partner violence in the Northwest Territories from 2018 to 2019, and I can only imagine that due to the stress from the pandemic, this rate is continuing to rise. Family violence is a crime. While many vital supports are in place, I believe we could take it one step further by adopting Clare's Law in the NWT.
Clare's Law provides people who feel at risk of domestic violence a way to access information about their partners so they can make informed choices about their safety. Clare's Law is named after a young woman in England, Clare Wood, who was murdered by her ex-partner who had a history of intimate-partner violence and was known to the police. Clare's Law has been adopted by many provinces in Canada, and most recently came into effect in Alberta.
Clare's Law, generally known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, provides several ways for police officers to disclose a person's history of abusive behaviour to those who may be at risk. It is intended to reduce intimate-partner violence and could prove a useful tool here towards increasing safety for our people.
In the NWT, domestic violence situations are compounded by the remote location and lack of services in many of our communities; unaffordable, substandard housing; socioeconomic conditions; and a harsh climate where mental health issues, like Seasonal Affective Disorder, are aggravated. When I think of myself and the women I know in the North, it's rare to know someone who hasn't experienced some form of family or domestic partner violence. It is unacceptable that this has become the norm in the Northwest Territories therefore I urge this government to work harder on improving this situation for our people and they can start by adopting Clare's Law. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.