Inuktitut version is available here.
The President of Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada (PIWC), Rebecca Kudloo, today issued the following statement on the signing of the historic Pinasuqatigiinniq* Agreement:
“Pauktuutit Inuit Women of Canada welcomes the opportunity to establish a formal working relationship with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) by signing this Agreement to improve the protection and safety of Inuit women, children and gender-diverse persons.
“Gendered-violence disproportionately victimizes Indigenous women across Canada, and Inuit women and children in particular. Women in Nunavut, for example, are the victims of violent crime at a rate 13 times higher than for woman in Canada as a whole.
“*Pinasuqatigiinniq is the Inuit term for working together collaboratively. It is an appropriate title for this Agreement, which is made in the spirit of reconciliation with a shared goal of urgent action to effect meaningful, lasting change through culturally aware and trauma-informed policing services for Indigenous communities across Canada.
“This principled approach is based on mutual trust in transparent and open communication, with the shared goal of reducing violence against Inuit women, children and gender-diverse persons through an engaged, sensitive and culturally responsive policing service.
“Police can respond more effectively to gendered violence by adopting a ‘decolonizing framework’ that helps officers move from being an outside force to becoming more integrated with northern communities they serve.
“This agreement supports progress toward an urgently-needed cultural shift in RCMP policing practices in Inuit Nunangat. Systemic racism is a reality in Inuit women’s encounters with the police. For example, women experiencing domestic violence often feel further victimized when they come into contact with the justice system, after having the courage to report incidents of abuse.
“Pauktuutit is encouraged by the shift toward community-led policing and better training for police. These commitments will advance some of Pauktuutit’s 15 policing recommendations aimed at improving the safety and security of Inuit women (as per the January 2020 report Addressing Gendered Violence Against Inuit Women: A review of police policies and practices in Inuit Nunangat).
“Pauktuutit looks forward to working with the RCMP to improve the safety and security of Inuit women, including when they have contact with RCMP officers assigned to serve and protect them. Pauktuutit will also monitor and update Inuit, as well as Canadians who share a commitment to reconciliation, on progress regarding the RCMP’s commitment to improving policing policies that impact Inuit women.”
— Rebecca Kudloo
Pauktuutit is the national non-profit organization representing all Inuit women in Canada. Its mandate is to foster a greater awareness of the needs of Inuit women, and to encourage their participation in community, regional and national concerns in relation to social, cultural and economic development.
For more information, please contact:
Susan King, sking@pauktuutit.ca, 613-724-1518