2010 EEYOU ISTCHEE FAMILY VIOLENCE SYMPOSIUM
In early 2010, the Cree Nation Government Department of Justice and Correctional Services, in collaboration with the Cree Women of Eeyou Istchee Association, received funding from the Government of Canada (Justice Canada) to host a three-day gathering to discuss the issue of family violence.
With the Symposium theme ofSafe Homes, Strong Communities, the event was held in Chisasibi, Quebec from November 16 to 18, 2010, and featured the participation of over 150 individuals from the Cree Nation along with more than 20 speakers from across the Cree Nation and North America.
This conference led to the further development of Women's Shelters and a Working Group on Domestic Violence and the Shelters.
For additionnal informations about this event please contact us.
Over two decades of family violence
Issues of family violence have been recognized in the Cree Nation for over two decades. We know that a high proportion of police calls are related to family/domestic violence and that the highest proportion of family violence victims in the country are First Nations peoples. We also know that family violence affects women, men, children and Elders and can take many forms including physical abuse and assault, sexual assault and exploitation, emotional/psychological abuse, non-physical abuse and coercive control/intimidation, abandonment and economic abuse and control.
The impacts of family violence are felt by all of us in the form of fear and reduced community safety, marital break-up and family dysfunction, lost productivity and economic hardship, mental health issues from unresolved trauma, and millions of dollars of unnecessary costs related to health care, social services, policing, child protection, emergency response, justice and more.
The issues and impacts related to family violence therefore made this gathering all the more important to the health and well-being of the Cree Nation. Over the course of three days, a number of important objectives were met, including:
- Raise awareness of family violence.
- Understand causes and impacts.
- Discuss and debate solutions.
- Develop an action plan for change.
- Demonstrate Cree Nation leadership on family violence reduction.
- Mobilize a variety of stakeholders to improve response and enhance prevention/intervention efforts.
