Understanding the real needs of Nunavik women and working towards solutions is the focus of Saturviit’s work. Poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, relationships, parenting, asking for help, and accessing services are everyday challenges for many Inuit women.
Speaking out about these issues, advocating at the regional level for change, and supporting local initiatives to improve women’s personal health and the wellness of their family is our mission.
The future of Nunavik lies with our children. We wish to assert the right for our children to grow in peace and security, and only in this way will the cycle of violence be put to an end.
We, Inuit women of Nunavik, demand that violence directed against women and children must stop. Child sexual abuse is absolutely intolerable and must end. All types of violence, whether physical or psychological, against women and children must cease to occur.
Justice for women and families of Nunavik has become a central concern for Saturviit. Since the launch of Canada’s National Inquiry into Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls, Saturviit has initiated several events, actions and tools that address Nunavik-specific issues related to justice, violence, and murdered and missing Nunavimmiut.
Saturviit believes that Inuit women are the heart of their families and communities. Several initiatives have been started to address children’s rights such as drafting a charter of rights for Inuit children and developing a strategy for a Nunavik child advocacy and family resources program. These approaches recognize the importance of having culturally appropriate resources and policies in place.
For those who do not know the meaning of Saturviit, the root word, satuq, means “regaining what one had lost”. Saturviit is in the plural and thus signifies “those who regain what was lost” symbolizing hope of a return of those aspects of our culture that we may think lost, a return of the Inuit way of doing things and the pride in Inuit identity.