November is Family Violence Prevention Month in the NWT and it is focused on promoting a change in attitudes and behaviours as we strive to address, reduce, and ultimately, bring an end to family violence.

Each year, we offer funding to organizations to support family violence prevention events/activities across the NWT and year on year, this initiative has been growing. Thank you to everyone who submitted a funding application and is organizing activities for their community. All funding has now been distributed for 2021. Please feel free to contact us via email or at 1.888.234.4485 for more information.

Family violence prevention:

moving from awareness to action

Awareness programs are programs that increase knowledge and share information and resources. Prevention programs are those that are intended to stop violence before it occurs.

Prevention is about actioning our intention; it requires commitment and collaboration.

Family Violence Prevention can be classified three ways and we hope you can see how we are and can be part of the change - part of prevention:

Primary Prevention

Primary prevention aims to stop family violence before it starts.These are the activities that take place before violence occurs to prevent initial perpetration or victimization. Examples include health relationship education and access to affordable housing.

Secondary Prevention

Secondary prevention aims to reduce the impact of family violence that has already begun.These are immediate responses after violence has occurred to deal with short-term consequences and prevent future perpetration or victimization. Examples include safety planning, protective orders, and safe shelters/homes.

Tertiary Prevention

Tertiary prevention aims to lessen the long-term negative effects after family violence has occurred. These are long-term responses after violence has occurred to address the lasting consequences of violence for the victim-survivor and offender treatment interventions. Examples include specialized counselling, short-term affordable housing, and the legal system.

Family violence is a serious public health issue in the Northwest Territories and across Canada. We believe that it will take all of us working together to address, reduce, and prevent family violence - to make our homes and communities safe.

Family violence in the NWT

Individuals experiencing family violence suffer many negative consequences which also have a negative impact on our communities and society. The stark fact is that the rate of police-reported family violence in the NWT is the second highest in the country, second only to Nunavut. The rate of police-reported family violence against children and youth in the NWT increased by 12% from 2018 to 2019. It is well-established that the impact of family violence on children and youth can be lifelong as trauma influences how one processes, understands, and interacts with the world. The rate of police-reported family violence against seniors in the NWT decreased by 9% from 2018 to 2019 which was heartening, although it is 19.5 times higher than the national average and once again, the second highest in the country. Police-reported intimate partner violence increased by 28% from 2018 to 2019 in the NWT with associated rates being twelve (12) times higher than the national average. The stark facts are that females (all ages) are twice as likely as males (all ages) to experience family violence in the NWT and that women represent 79% of the victims of intimate partner violence in the NWT. (Source: Conroy, S. (2021). Family violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile, 2019. Ottawa: Statistics Canada.)

These alarming statistics are further compounded by the knowledge that “all forms of family violence are underestimated” (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2018) due to under-reporting.

These alarming and sad statistics, and the people whose lives have been impacted by family violence, drive the Status of Women Council of the Northwest Territories to identify addressing, reducing, and ultimately, ending family violence as a priority.

Follow this link for family violence service provider contact information, help lines, and more.

If you participated in a family violence prevention event in your community in the past, please take a moment to fill out our evaluation form so that we can improve this initiative.