Mothers should have a safe place to go to with their children

In April 2016, I embarked on an 8,000-kilometer walk across Canada to:
1- Raise Canadians' awareness of the reality of Inuit women and children in Nunavik, Quebec;
2- Raise funds to build a safe house for the children of a Nunavik village in northern Quebec.

To date, I have covered five thousand five-hundred and eighty-two kilometres in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, parts of Ontario and Quebec.

No Child Should Take the Long Way Home is seeking solutions to counter the number of placements Inuit children are subjected to and to help the mothers recover their children. On September 26th, I had covered 5582 kilometres. The next lap from Rossport, Ontario (2418) should bring me to the end of the 8000-kilometre journey.

The outcome of intercultural placement carries the seeds of alienation from self

Policies and practices reflect longstanding and deeply embedded mother-blaming culture and father invisibility ideologies that shape child protection systems. With regard to children in this year of reconciliation, one has to believe another solution is possible, that whatever solution brought about does not stem from ideology, that big changes are going to happen in this lifetime. Children need to be safe, but they also need to be among their people.

A need to focus on girls’ voices, concerns and realities

Violence is a reality for many girls in Canada. There is a need to focus on girls’ voices, concerns, and realities. Physical abuse against children is rarely publicized since they do not have a VOICE.

For example, when an Inuit girl child showed me the marks of physical abuse, I was told not to vent it out it, otherwise, her family would know we were after them and might beat her worse. For men, it is often their inability to provide their families with basic needs and their demands for certain foods, clothes, etc. For women, it is the burden of responsibilities at home and the lack of space and support.

The complexity of the history of the indigenous people remains the distinctive feature they share

The day when hopes and gestures offer a more equitable development in remote areas, we will imagine that all children will no longer be condemned to live "social suffering". The historical processes of colonization, marginalization and coercive assimilation have contributed to poverty and the ensuing hardships. In my viewpoint, it is a violation of human rights. How can we build self-sufficient communities with the systems in place, the ones that keep the people down.

Risk factors require that they be recognized and dealt with

A few months ago, I heard a First Nations woman say how happy she was that she had had a child, a beautiful healthy girl. But her next sentence literally froze me to the bone. She said: “I started fearing for my girl because she was a girl”.

Increased awareness regarding the safety and support of women and children

Although there is increased awareness regarding the safety and support of women and children affected by domestic violence, resource constraints create a challenging context for the delivery of effective services and real justice to women and children. In a previous work experience, the department assuring support to the community had one full-time person and one occasional additional person for just so many months a year. The community workers were there to translate and negotiate which made for an inordinate amount of work distributed amongst the agents. It was impossible to ever get it all done.

Girls become women

More than 6 000 women and children per day escape violence in Canada. Within these, Indigenous and Inuit women and girls between ages 15 and 34 are three times more likely to be victims of violence than other women in Canada.

No Child Should Take the Long Way Home is a grassroot initiative that wants to reverse the tendency of more Indigenous children from distant communities sent into foster care across the country.

Challenging the “mother blaming” culture

Challenging the “mother blaming” culture

I expect all my blog readers including my French readers to be as curious as I am about the Inuit and their culture. Please share this interest with as many people as you can.

No Child Should Take the Long Way Home is a grassroot initiative to help children in need of loving care, of a protective and stable environment to meet their basic needs for protection, shelter and education in a safe house/respite home in their own community.

Quinuituq means deep patience

My immediate plan is to give conferences and hold photo exhibits on the subject of the Inuit reality. When possible, I will also tell legends and Inuit stories in parks and in events along the 8000-kilometer trek. This blog which I called “quinuituq” is an Inuit name meaning “deep patience”. One of the amazing things is that Inuit work together: they are able to view leadership as shared, understanding that the contributions of others are vital and that success comes from collaborative efforts.

The Repercussions of Violence Last a Lifetime

Repercussions that last a lifetime

As a psychotherapist for many years and then in the last few years as a social worker, I've seen first-hand the deep hurt and devastation that chidren feel when their attachment to their parents is compromised.