Strong Women’s Circle

Strong Women’s Circle: Supporting Alberta Primary Prevention Framework by Mapping Root Causes of Violence and Identifying Policy Recommendations to Stop Violence Against Indigenous Peoples Before it Starts

Citation: McLeod, S., Mahegun, T., Wells, L., & Litviniuc, A. (2023). Strong women’s circle: Supporting Alberta’s primary prevention framework by mapping root causes of violence and identifying policy recommendations to stop violence against Indigenous peoples before it starts. Calgary, AB: The University of Calgary, Shift: The Project to End Domestic Violence.

Abstract: This report informs the Alberta Primary Prevention Framework Collaborative project, a partnership between Shift, the Government of Alberta, and the IMPACT collective, focused on advancing upstream primary prevention efforts to stop violence before it starts. The research report centers Indigenous Peoples experiences and outlines primary prevention solutions that address the root causes of violence and promote systemic change. It builds on the rich work that has been accomplished by Indigenous researchers and activists from across Canada and reflects the expertise and lived experiences of three Indigenous researchers and eight Elders living in Alberta, who guided the research process. Created in ethical space, where Indigenous and Western worldviews came together to co-create sustainable anti-violence solutions, the report proposes five transformative changes to achieve Indigenous sovereignty along with a list of reforms for six systems that increase Indigenous Peoples’ vulnerability to violence: justice and policing, child welfare, health, education, housing, and transportation.

There are two versions of the report. The first one is the Strong Women’s Technical Report that provides detailed recommendations for policy reforms that may be of interest to researchers, policymakers, and implementers, as it contains the project’s theory and methodology, comprehensive quantitative and qualitative supporting evidence, along with detailed recommendations for transformative changes and systemic reforms. The other report is a summary of the Strong Women’s Circle research initiative that may be of interest to practitioners, policy makers and general public, as it offers a concise overview of the main research findings as well as QR codes with links to interviews with Elders on solutions to preventing violence.