Domestic Violence in Indigenous Communities

Domestic Violence in Indigenous Communities

By Suzanne Burke, Pine Tree Legal Staff Attorney

 

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According to Britannica, it is a day to honor “American Indians, Native Alaskans, and Native Hawaiians, most of whom were violently uprooted and exploited beginning with the arrival of Europeans in the Americas. It celebrates the diversity of Indigenous peoples and their contributions to American history and culture. It is also a day to reflect on the historical mistreatment of Indigenous peoples and to recognize their rights and sovereignty.”

With the intersection of these two topics in the fall, it only makes sense that we talk about missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW). However, let us not just think about this topic in passing, once a year. Victims are suffering every day and therefore, this deserves our attention year-round. The following information is provided by Native Hope.  

"Native American women are 10x more likely to be murdered or sexually assaulted...In fact, murder is the third leading cause of death for Native women. Victims have ranged from as young as less than one year old to as old as 83."

As of 2016, the National Crime Information Center had 5,712 cases of missing Native women. But the U.S. Department of Justice Missing Persons database only contains 116 reported cases — that’s just 2% of all cases that are being reported. Most of the murders against Native women are committed by non-Native people on Native land. The widespread silence about MMIW comes from the issues that the Indian Relocation Act and other federal policies have caused.

Because of these laws, many Native Americans do not live on their tribal lands or on reservations. As a result, when someone goes missing the community and tribal law enforcement can’t band together in search efforts. The cities that many Natives live in don’t provide the tribal resources that reservations or tribal land would. To help raise awareness for MMIW, wear red or attend marches, rallies, 5ks, and more to shed light on the unsettling issues that are disproportionately affecting Indigenous women.

See www.nativehope.org for more.

#NoMoreStolenSisters #NativeHope #MMIW

The Wabanaki Legal News is published by Pine Tree Legal Assistance, Inc. and is funded in part through a grant from the Legal Services Corporation. The views expressed by the authors in this newsletter are not necessarily shared by Pine Tree Legal Assistance or its staff.

Indigenous Peoples Unit
Lisa Chase, Managing Attorney
Suzanne Burke, Staff Attorney
Sadie Harris, Staff Attorney

115 Main St. #2
Bangor, ME 04401

Pine Tree Indigenous Peoples Unit toll free hotline: 1-877-213-5630; V/TTY: 711.

Please call our toll-free hotline to request assistance. You may also call Pine Tree Legal Assistance during call center hours.