A dozen women packed the free "Boundaries" workshop put on by the Salvation Army when it was offered recently. Another date could come in mid-March to meet what seems to be a growing demand for help in this area.

Many people would say "no" to situations and proposals if they had a greater sense of self, said program organizer Karen Hoeft.

"It is not a matter of not being able to say no, but rather not feeling that they have a right to say no," she said.

When areas of self-control are fuzzy, abusive situations can arise, either sexually or financially.

And Hoeft said some clues for such situations in relationships are when a partner is always jealous or constantly wants to know what you have been doing or whom you have been with.

Mere conflict is not necessarily a sign of a problem.

"Conflict is good," Hoeft said. "In a healthy relationship there is conflict because there are two opinions. Have you ever met anyone who you agreed with all the time?"

Yellowknife Women's Centre executive director Arlene Hache agreed that too many people don't stand up for their rights.

Though sometimes passively accepting another's will is preferred because a person simply could not be bothered fighting something, there are cases where being meek could mean being taken advantage of.

For example, if a landlord slips an eviction notice under someone's door, there is an appeal process.

"Only a rental officer is allowed to give notice to clients that they are being evicted," Hache said.

But the problem of being a pushover could cause the eviction order in the first place.

Or relatives or friends could outstay a welcome to the point that seven people are living for an extended period in a place where the homeowner believes just four people are residing.

"Sometimes relatives come and eat all their food," Hache said, noting some people's self-esteem doesn't permit them to stand up for themselves.

Then there's the case when people are simply encouraged to go to school by an income assistance officer and they do not believe that they have still have a choice of whether to go or not.