BREAKING SILENCE

You can be a homebody and still benefit from being part of the Take Back the Night Walk. I’ll be the first to admit that I mumbled at first, when I heard Gerri Sharpe Staples begin the chants, found the event “awesome”, and said, “I think people should do this more often!”

There we were, about seventy people marching in downtown Inuvik, (about forty women, the rest were children and men), carrying big signs that said, “No more abuse!” clanging pots and pans. As we walked down the main road, a transformation took place; I found myself, along with other women, getting louder and more assertive, strengthened by each other’s fearlessness. Cars we passed honked to show support, and people of all genders and ages smiled at us. The balloons represented all the women and children who had been served by the Inuvik Transition House. By the time we released the balloons into the blue sky, we were all cheering, excited to let go of anger and to celebrate the bonding we had just went through. We then had a candlelight vigil and prayed for those who have been affected by violence in the home. Young girls interviewed felt inspired. A participant from the Arctic Tern Correctional Facilities

Ann Kasook, one of this event’s organizers and Executive Director of the Inuvik Transition House, was very pleased with the response. “This is a much bigger turnout than we’ve had in other years,” she said, “Sharing our stories in the friendship center encourages these women. There is still a lot of violence in homes, and to solve the problem, we have to admit the problem first. We all have daughters and grand daughters, sisters, relatives and friends that we need to do this for.”

Ann’s organization also sells the colorful “hand” leaflets that say “I will not raise my hands in violence” during family violence week. People who buy these leaflets write messages on them and put them up in public places in town. “It’s not for the monetary value, but to begin conversation and awareness,” Ann stressed. A study released showed that in the North, Tuktoyaktuk had the highest rate of violence against women and children, followed by Paulatuk and Hay River. We are grateful to our interviewees for sharing their personal experience in the following article, and hope their strength will inspire others to join in the fight against violence.