Violence Against Women and Children

I was too tired to write about this subject last night, so I have given up my morning yoga routine in order to make this important post.

I am lucky to be alone with my patients often, I get to hear so many stories that I would never get to hear if the doctor was in the room. I seat them, get a brief health history, wait for Terry who does a quick exam and freezes them, he then leaves for ten minutes in order for the freezing to take effect, and then it's just the patient and myself again. Some patients like to tell me all about their lives, others are quiet and I can barely get one word out of them.

Domestic violence is very common up here, something that takes place in far too many homes. I have seen many women, as young as 19, come in with bruises peaking out from the collar of their shirts or all over there arms, some have swollen lips. I have patients that are missing front teeth, that they say is because their boyfriends/husbands have knocked them out. Sometimes we have minor domestic disturbances in the reception area, where the couple is basically just yelling and cursing at each other. Thankfully, it has never elevated to more than that, the man usually just leaves. Many are single moms who tell me that life is better without a man.

My first patient yesterday morning was 45, about to be a great grandmother! She works as a cook in the health centre. She was telling me about the violence here; she feels that the Inuit men cannot cope with so much of a southern influence and that they are taking out their anger on the women and children. The south has come with churches, crappy "food", TV shows with an "envious" way of life, and most importantly drugs and alcohol. Most communities are dry, meaning alcohol is prohibited, while drugs are obviously illegal everywhere. Unfortunately, people from the South are all to happy to send drugs and alcohol to the North. Perhaps they don't realize just how much destruction they are causing, or maybe they just don't care. Back to my patient though...I knew the moment I saw her that she was a strong woman, she told me about her life and all of the men that had come and go. She told me that people always come to her with problems, because she is not afraid to speak up. She told me that she is trying to start programs and bring awareness to the abuse that is far to common, she wants to make a difference. I was so glad to hear that someone has finally had enough, and hopefully, will be able to help change things for the better.

On a lighter note...The court people are coming to the hotel today to have meetings. Apparently the locals don't like them very much and may decide not to bring water to the hotel, which we have to receive daily. They cannot bury a sewage system here as there is perma-frost. Water and sewage are held in above ground septic tanks which need to be maintained daily at the hotel because there are so many people. Anyways, I made sure to wake up early to have a shower and have filled a couple of water bottles just in case.