Kerry McCluskey
Northern News Services

IQALUIT (May 10/99) - Self-described as the chief cook and bottle washer, Trish Hughes-Wieczorek is just one of the many bodies who helps keep women safe at Qimaavik, Iqaluit's women shelter.

And as one of the few, but constantly used, resources for abused women in the Baffin region, Qimaavik -- translated into English to mean a place to get away -- provides an option for women and their children that quite often proves to be a life-saver.

But as Hughes-Wieczorek explained, it's often not as easy as just walking away from a violent or abusive situation.

"It's a very loaded issue for women and often a very dangerous one because that's when violence escalates, when she tries to leave. That's the most dangerous time for her," said Hughes-Wieczorek, who, as the executive director of the Agvvik Society, oversees the day-to-day operations of the shelter.

"If he's going to kill her, that's when he'll do it."

But, even with such statistics facing them, women do still choose to leave and the 15 available beds are always in use. It's that undaunting sense of courage that leaves Hughes-Wieczorek feeling constantly amazed.

"We run at capacity or over capacity all the time. All of us are blown away by the sheer courage of the women."

She explained that the first priority when a woman arrives at the shelter is to begin the intake process and determine whether or not she or her children require medical attention. Once the client has managed to settle in and the vast paperwork has been completed, counselling sessions with one of many in-house therapists begins and the woman starts her healing.

Run as both a crisis house and a transition house, women are permitted to reside at Qimaavik for up to six weeks, but must then move on and make room for the other women in need. Because of a lack of other options, many of the women are forced to return to the situation they were forced to flee.

"The reasons are many and partly they are stuck between a rock and a hard place," said Hughes-Wieczorek.

She noted that because of the crucial housing shortage, a lack of education and financial resources, family pressures and the threat of escalated violence, women had no choice but to go back home. It's this lack of choice that Hughes-Wieczorek is trying to eliminate. Mandated to work to eradicate family violence in the Baffin region, Agvvik has recently begun to look at ways of broadening their scope and working more on the prevention side of violence.

"We've been trying to offer more and more counselling. We're very concerned about personal safety and security. Obviously, you need a safe house. But, we're trying to move beyond that."

As well as working on developing job skills, computer skills and learning how to write resumes, proposals for an Inuit-specific daycare, HIV/AIDS outreach programs and support programs for staff are all in the works.

The goal is to provide women with the tools they need to get jobs and adequate housing so they are not forced to live in abusive situations.

Until the time that such funding can be secured however, the 12-14 staff members continue to boost themselves by concentrating on the success stories.

"We always take great pleasure when someone does get that job and starts to make changes in her life. Or she might even reunite with her partner and he might elect to get help. Or she may choose to try and get the house in her name or she might make an escape plan...that's big."