ABSTRACT
Aboriginal peoples (variously known as Indigenous, Indian, First Nations of Canada, and American Indian/Alaska Native in the United States) comprise 3.8% of the total population of Canada and 1.5% of the total population of the United States (Statistics Canada, 2003, 2008). While representing a small proportion of the total population, Aboriginal peoples are overrepresented as victims of violence, including IPV, in both Canada (Johnson, 2006) and the United States (Rennison, 2001). In a study of Aboriginal women in Manitoba and Saskatchewan, when asked about the health of their communities the vast majority ranked family violence as their most important health concern (Centres of Excellence for Women’s Health, 2002). This was despite the existence of other health concerns that are known to be particularly devastating among the Aboriginal population, including diabetes, mental health issues, substance abuse, and Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (Martens et al., 2002). Indeed, the high rate of violence against Aboriginal women has been linked to several health sequelae including mental health problems, substance abuse, and HIV-risk behaviour (Saylors & Daliparthy, 2006).
