Family violence as a social determinant of First Nations, Inuit and Métis health

October 2019

This fact sheet explores family violence as a determinant of health for First Nations, Inuit and Métis individuals, families and communities. It provides an overview of the potential physical health, mental health and social impacts of family violence on individuals across the life span. It also examines the prevalence of various types of family violence, the risk factors that contribute to family violence generally, and the unique context that increases the vulnerability of Indigenous women to family violence specifically.

Addressing family violence in Indigenous communities is a complex issue because of the diverse socio-economic, geographic, political, cultural and historical barriers that operate at the individual, family, community and system levels. The fact sheet then examines barriers that inhibit Indigenous victims of violence from reporting it, prevent them from leaving violent situations, and constrain efforts to effectively reduce family violence within Indigenous communities. The fact sheet concludes by presenting a wide-array of promising approaches for family violence prevention and intervention in these settings. These approaches are multi-faceted and multi-dimensional, targeted at the level of individuals, communities, systems and policy and operating across multiple domains (legal, education, health and social services).