Pauktuutit is an organization in

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

that represents

Inuit Inuit (; iu, ᐃᓄᐃᑦ 'the people', singular: Inuk, , dual: Inuuk, ) are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic and subarctic regions of Greenland, Labrador, Quebec, Nunavut, the Northwest Territories ...

women. It was officially started in 1984 and is headquartered in

Ottawa Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...

for easier access to the

Parliament of Canada The Parliament of Canada (french: Parlement du Canada) is the federal legislature of Canada, seated at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and is composed of three parts: the King, the Senate, and the House of Commons. By constitutional convention, the ...

. Every Canadian Inuit woman is considered to be a member of Pauktuutit. Thus, no woman needs to pay for membership.Pauktuutit,
FAQs
," URL accessed 15 July 2006. The organization is meant to promote

social equality Social equality is a state of affairs in which all individuals within a specific society have equal rights, liberties, and status, possibly including civil rights, freedom of expression, autonomy, and equal access to certain public goods and ...

for Inuit women, children's rights, and the improvement of living conditions for Inuit women. It also strives to obtain a larger role for Inuit women in Canadian politics, to preserve Inuit culture, and to encourage personal independence among Inuit women. To these ends, Pauktuutit has spoken out against sexual abuse of children and physical abuse of women, and has been concerned with

housing Housing, or more generally, living spaces, refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings individually or collectively, for the purpose of shelter. Housing ensures that members of society have a place to live, whether it ...

. Similar organizations include the

Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, (Inuktitut syllabics: , meaning "Inuit are united in Canada") previously known as the Inuit Tapirisat of Canada (Eskimo Brotherhood of Canada), is a nonprofit organization in Canada that represents over 65,000 Inuit acro ...

, which represents all Inuit Canadians; there is also the

Native Women's Association of Canada The Native Women's Association of Canada (NWAC; french: Association des femmes autochthones du Canada, nolink=yes FAC is a national Indigenous organization representing the political voice of Indigenous women, girls, and gender-diverse people in ...

, which represents Aboriginal women, recognized by Pauktuutit as an ally. However, scholars have noted the Native Women's Association of Canada has enjoyed more representation in meetings of Canadian leaders than Pauktuutit.Frances Abele and Michael J. Prince, "Alternative Futures: Aboriginal Peoples and Canadian Federalism," in ''Canadian Federalism: Performance, Effectiveness, and Legitimacy'', eds. Herman Bakvis and Grace Skogstad, (Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press, 2002), p. 225.

References

External links

Pauktuutit website
{{Aboriginal Orgs Canada 1984 establishments in Ontario Inuit in Canada Inuit organizations Organizations based in Ottawa Indigenous rights organizations in Canada Women's organizations based in Canada Organizations established in 1984 Indigenous organizations in Ontario Women in Ontario