Indigenous social work students call for women's shelters on reserves

Indigenous women in the Maritimes and Quebec need shelters on reservesto keep them safe from domestic violence, including murder, say Indigenous social work students at St. Thomas University.

Twenty-four per cent of Indigenous women become victims of domestic violence,compared with seven per cent of non-Indigenous women,said Jan Marshall, one of three students who made a presentation on the issue at the university's social action fair Tuesday in Fredericton.

Women threatened by violenceneed a place to turn, she said, yet few reserves in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Quebec have shelters and women often must travel far to find a safehaven.

"We hope, as a group of future social workers, to bring these women's shelters into the communities, so they have somewhere that they feel valued and loved, and they have asafe place to go,in hopes of stopping these women from being missing and murdered."

In addition to a safety net of shelters, Marshall urged social workers to try to address root causes of theviolence. The answer, she said, may lie in women returning to a stronger, more traditional role in their communities.

"Before European contact, Aboriginal women were highly valued in their communities for decision-making and being creators of life. ... Europeans came in and brought those ideas where men startto devalue women."

Urgent issues backhome

Twenty-eight students are in the Mi'kmaq/Maliseetbachelor of social workprogram at St. Thomas.

Theprogram is tailored to mature students who may be balancing parenting and work, along with the courses they takein Sackville, N.B. The students, who are all women,areexpected to complete 700 hours of practical work before the completion of the program in July.

At the social action fair, 10groups of students made presentations on urgent social issues in Indigenous communities in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Quebec.

"I think it's important that we, asMi'kmaqandMaliseetpeoples, research, identify and educate ourselves on the social and environmental issues that we face on a day-to-day basis," said SandraGermain, the program co-ordinator.

Graduates are expected to return to their First Nation communities and continue to work for change, she said.

Other presentationsat the fairfocused on preventing sexually transmitted diseases, harm reduction in substance abuse, access to clean drinking water on Potlotek First Nation in Nova Scotia, and educating people about residential schoolsurvivors.

Carolyn Milliea and her group focused on the Truth and Reconciliation Commission'scall to educate the public about the history and legacy of residential schools. A display called "100 years of loss" focused on educational materials.

"I think it's important for me because I've worked with residential school survivors, because I've seen them grow from being so timid and shy and withdrawn to now they're like out there," said Milliea. "They're telling their truth. The truth of what happened at residential schools, and what happened after and now."

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Changing child and family services

Another group addressed the need for cultural awareness in child and family services for First Nations people in urban areas. The students advocated setting upprogramsfor off-reserve communities that would be similar to those run on reserves and usepeople who understand Indigenous culture.

"It presents itself when people who are not Indigenous, and do not have (Indigenous) cultural awareness, go into try and support children and families, and they do not have that awareness and that understanding and knowledge that Indigenous people have," student Deanna Price said.

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Germain has high hopes for students in the Mi'kmaq/Maliseet social work program. In the end, she sees the program as a stepping stone to solving some of the issues facing Indigenous communities.

"My priority is for our people, our students to be able to express themselves to get the message out because this is something that once they get their degrees we want them to go out there, and we want them to be advocates for their people for the issues that concern them," saidGermain.

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