Glen Korstrom
Northern News Services

INUVIK (Nov 27/98) - A public inquiry is needed to help the many survivors of residential schools who have not come forward with their stories of abuse, according to Grollier Hall residential school healing circle co-ordinator Lawrence Norbert.

"This is a sensitive issue because we're dealing with the church and past policies of government," Norbert says.

"For many in government, because it's an abuse issue, they don't want to tackle it."

Recent trials are part of the healing process, but not the entire healing process, he says.

And, in the past year, Norbert says he has talked to many former residential school students from the Sahtu, Aklavik and other areas who have told him that if there were to be an inquiry, they would like to be there.

The group believes if victims acknowledge positive values, such as their own strength and credibility, they will be better able to hold abusers accountable, gain closure from their residential school experiences and heal in their own way.

The suggested inquiry would investigate situations of alleged physical, sexual, emotional and spiritual abuse at residential schools along with the quality of education students received and the types of treatment and healing available for residential school survivors.

"There are stories of people coming forward and there being no response," says Inuvik counsellor Dale Sharkey.

"That's part of what I would like to see at an inquiry, is did people know?"

Sharkey says many who were sexually abused have been dysfunctional at times in their lives and this has prompted a cycle where other people are affected.

"These kinds of issues need to be looked at," Sharkey says, to reject the let-sleeping-dogs-lie mindset.

"A lot of former students have died violent deaths from suicide or accidents."

Another part of the issue is funding.

There is a $350 million federal fund set up to help survivors of abuse in residential schools and Sharkey says he can understand the slowness in getting money to those affected.

"There are a lot of people who are after that money," Sharkey says, before explaining how there is a need for caution to ensure the money goes to those affected and for a purpose that promotes healing.

On territorial funding, the healing circle is pushing the GNWT to increase its victim services budget from $200,000, Norbert says.

"If anyone in Inuvik wants to start a victim services program, good luck to them," he says.

"There's no money in the budget. It's easier to find funding for a person at Yellowknife Correctional Centre."

Funding for healing, will be more cost-effective, he says, because it targets crime prevention instead of dealing with consequences after the fact.