The Rankin Inlet Spousal Abuse Program
“A Real Success Story”

The Rankin Inlet Spousal Abuse Program was created in the small community of Rankin Inlet, in the Kivalliq Region of Canada’s newest territory: Nunavut. This is the key factor in its success today and for the future.

The program was born through the efforts of a small group of people who lived in Rankin and wanted to make a difference in a community where spousal abuse was prevalent and where family violence changed people’s lives forever. In the beginning, the founders agreed that the program could not be given life until the community was 100 percent behind the idea. A number of public meetings were held and many people spoke out about the need and the dangers associated with any initiative that proposed to deal with such a huge social problem. It took more than two years to obtain the support needed to start the program.

The next step was to develop something that would fit with the people it was meant to serve. Although there were many programs in existence, we realized that none of them were able to be transplanted into a small Arctic community where resources of every kind were limited. The program had to be holistic, inclusive and totally owned and operated by the community. The development started in September of 2001. The program opened its doors for counselling in September of 2002.

A proposal was submitted to the federal government for a court-ordered program open to both men and women accused of assaulting their spouses. To qualify, it was agreed that the offender must admit the facts of the case and plead guilty at his or her first opportunity, and the victim must consent to the appropriateness of this course of action. If the offender successfully completed the program and the court was advised in writing of that fact, the Crown and Defence would jointly recommend a conditional discharge. The program is not open to cases where bodily harm has resulted from the assault, but it is open to offenders with a record of family violence.

Funds for this three-year pilot project were obtained through the hard work and the determination of many people. The Pulaarvik Kablu Friendship Centre became the sponsoring body responsible for administering the program and receiving the funding.

In April of 2006, because of its obvious success, the program received its first stable funding through the Government of Nunavut, Department of Community Justice.

The program operates under the direction of a steering/advisory committee composed of members of the community, as well as various other people representing other stakeholders. Educating the elders on the program and including their assistance helps the program meet its overall goal of reducing spousal abuse by helping offenders change the way they relate to others.

To date, 80 male abusers and 12 female abusers have gone through the program.  There are five individuals in the program now. The Rankin Inlet Spousal Abuse Program also includes help for victims who wish to receive it. To date, 13 victims have participated substantially.

The first counsellors were a husband and wife team. After their departure from the community, I took over as co-coordinator/counsellor of the program in November 2003.  I am responsible for implementing the program and submitting operational reports, making the program completely accountable to the community of Rankin Inlet and the Government of Nunavut.

What makes this program unique is the Inuit perspective that has been incorporated into the curriculum. We use elders to assist us with group counselling. They are also prepared to do one-on-one counselling if the client agrees. We focus on healing as opposed to punishment, and on the positive as opposed to the negative.

Our program is very popular throughout Nunavut and there has been a lot of interest in adopting it in other communities. But we have learned that these programs cannot succeed without full community consultation and overall support. One size does not fit all.

One of the men who went through the program wrote a very emotional and moving article about how it changed his life. There are other testimonials as well, and many offenders have commented in court about what they learned through the process.

No one imagined that this program could be successful enough to attract abusers before they are charged with an offence, but often now, members of the community want to participate fully without being referred through the court process.

No program is perfect, but in Rankin Inlet we now know that the counselling received through the Rankin Inlet Spousal Abuse Program is changing some people’s lives and making a difference. The community has a lot to be proud of!

Respectfully submitted by:
Emiline Kowmuk
Program Coordinator
Rankin Inlet Spousal Abuse Program