NORTHWEST TERRITORIES

A Yellowknife MLA is questioning the effectiveness of the territorial government's violence prevention strategy following a report showing a 107 per cent increase in reports of domestics assaults over the past seven years.

Kam Lake MLA Dave Ramsay thinks the government is failing in its efforts to protect families based on statistics compiled by RCMP G division indicating 640 reported cases of spousal assault in the NWT last year compared to 309 in 2006.

"Judging by the statistics, what we're doing currently is not working," Ramsay said in regards to domestic violence.

However, in contrast, the NWT Bureau of Statistics shows incidents of violent crime have increased by only five per cent between 2006 and 2009 to 3,730 incidents from 3,527 (2010 statistics are not yet available). In fact, since reaching a decade-long high of 4,025 incidents in 2007 violent crime has been trending downward.

Sandy Lee, minister for the Department of Health and Social Services, said the department has been following a prevention plan for the past three years and will continue to do so with increased funding to shelters, for communities without shelters and money to help children who witness violence.

Ramsay asked with all the measures in place, why aren't the numbers decreasing?

"There shouldn't be any assaults in the Northwest Territories, but if there is going to be a way to trend, it should be the other way," said Ramsay.

Lyda Fuller, executive director of Yellowknife's YWCA, said the increase in reports of domestic abuse may actually be due to improved efforts to combat the assaults. Funding for the NWT's five shelters, and for outreach, support groups and awareness efforts in communities without shelters might has created a safety net and a level of awareness that is helping people escape violent homes and relationships, said Fuller.

"I'm thinking it just might be that people feel more comfortable reporting (family violence)," said Fuller. "That would be my immediate take on that. I would like to look at the numbers a little closer."

She added she'd also like to see a geographical breakdown of where the reports occurred.

Fuller commended changes to the 2005 Family Violence Act for improving avenues of reporting spousal abuse, such as Emergency Protection Orders, which allow a justice of the peace to bar an alleged abuser from contact with a victim for a maximum of 90 days, in which time other charges can be laid.

She also cited increased funding to shelters in Yellowknife, Tuktoyaktuk, Inuvik, Hay River and Fort Smith which has allowed shelters to balance their books, increase wages and hire staff. Previously shelters in communities, other than Yellowknife were not staffed 24 hours a day.

This funding was part of the GNWT's Action Plan on Family Violence, which kicked off in 2004 in response to a report by the Coalition Against Family Violence, of which Fuller is a member.

She said the coalition will meet later this month to discuss development of phase 3 of the action plan.

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