Val-d'Or sexual assault support centre gets $240K to address needs of Indigenous women

A support centre for victims of sexual abuse in Val-d'Or, Que., is launching a new program to meet the surge in demand from Indigenous women for the centre's services since 2015.

The province is investing $240,000 in the initiative, called Mikizi, aimed at reaching Indigenous women living in and around Val-d'Or, in the Abitibi-Témiscamingue region.

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Judy Lafontaine is a counsellor at Assaut Sexuel Secours. She said the centre has wanted to hire extra staff ever since since allegations of police mistreatment of Indigenous women surfaced in 2015.

Demand for the centre's services more than doubled in the year that followed, Lafontaine said, forcing the centre to draw up a waiting list for the first time in its existence.

That demand has continued to grow along with social movements such as #MeToo, which has pushed more women to come forward, said Lafontaine.

"We are here to help them heal, help them find peace," Lafontaine said.

Holistic approach to healing

Lafontaine said the financial support has allowed the centre to hire a new counsellor who started work in January.

​Sakia Wabie Alarie is an Indigenous woman from Val-d'Or who previously worked as a social worker for the local health agency.

Alarie compares her new role to that of a lighthouse — guiding boats through the fog.

"When you can't find your way, you see it, and you know where you have to go," she said. Alarie said she will bring a more holistic approach to the healing process.

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"I work with the healing of the four poles — body, mind, spirit and emotions."

Alarie said it is also important to integrate into her work an understanding of the impact colonialism has had on Indigenous peoples and how suffering has been passed on, from generation to generation.

"I accept them the way they are. If they have their own tools to attenuate their suffering — for example, alcohol — I'll just accept them like that."

Strengthening bonds with communities

Mikizi, which means eagle in Anishnabe, also has the mandate to continue the centre's outreach initiatives in communities around Val-d'Or.

Lafontaine said this outreach is working: in 2014-2015, 30 per cent of users were Indigenous, a number that doubled to 60 per cent in 2017-2018.

Lafontaine said women often feel more comfortable talking about sexual abuse with people outside their band council.

However, she said it's crucial that local resource workers have the right tools and know where to turn to point women who have been victimized in the right direction.

"It's important that communities take action as well," Lafontaine said. 

Minister of Indigenous Affairs Geoffrey Kelley acknowledged the work Assaut sexuel secours has done over the years in the Algonquin communities of Kitcisakik and Lac-Simon.

Kelley said Monday that Mikizi should help strengthen these networks.

Lafontaine said she hopes by the time the three-year funding for Mikizi ends, those bridges will be solid, but she also hopes the funding is renewed.

"There really is a need," she said. 

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The province announced a $1-million emergency fund in October 2017, following the wave of allegations against well-known figures in Quebec's entertainment industry.

The money was distributed among the nearly 40 support centres for victims of sexual assault across the province. Val-d'Or received $11,000.