Jennifer Pritchett
Northern News Services

RANKIN INLET (Jun 03/98) - Mary says the safe shelter saved her life. The Rankin Inlet woman, was able to escape an abusive relationship with the help of the community's women's shelter.

"I thought before I came here, I had no one to turn to," said Mary, not her real name. "I had friends, but I couldn't go to them. (I had) no more self-esteem."

Evelyn Thordarson, executive director of the women's shelter, said that the shelter gives women a place to go and somewhere they can talk about their problems.

"I think when people come here now, they know things are going to happen for them. They should come here for the sake of their kids," she said.

"They're not really giving them a father -- just a role model for abuse."

Wanting something better for her kids is what prompted Mary to go to the shelter after hearing about it through friends and the RCMP.

After leaving her abuser for the sixth time since she was 19, Mary made the decision to start a new life for herself and her two kids. Now 30, she can look back and see that it was the support she received at the shelter that enabled her to move on with her life. She is now legally separated from him while she awaits a divorce.

The shelter, open 24 hours a day, provides free accommodation to women and children in abusive situations with nowhere to go.

Even though it's located in Rankin Inlet, the shelter is open to women from across Kivalliq. The facility offers counselling services, as well as care for children. Mary is one of more than 80 women who found refuge at the shelter in the last 12 months.

"I can face life -- I have a life to live," she said. "I used to leave town (to get away from abuse), but now I stick to my job. (The shelter) helped me with my kids and to get a place to live."

The lives of her children have also improved since she left. "They're so happy and relaxed," she said. "They're more open and they talk to me more. I'm so proud of me for what I did for me and my kids."

No different than other abused women in Canada or other parts of the world, Mary seized the opportunity to get help. She believes there are a lot of other women like her and urges them to do the same for themselves and for their children.

"They shouldn't be scared. I used to be scared to talk," she said. "Speak up -- open up to friends. There's life ahead of them. You can't stick to a relationship if it's not working out. There's life after that."