Together, we can achieve autonomy, agency and protection of Natives and end the violence.
Here is information and resources on issues related to Indigenous Peoples and violence, particularly in the U.S. You will find current and developing legislation, reports, Tribal and non-Tribal organizations working on these issues, and resources for all who are affected by this crisis.
The Statistics
The Association extends its prayers to all who are affected by this crisis.
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The epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples is
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Domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, homicide, stalking and sex trafficking disproportionally affect Indigenous Peoples.
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In the Media
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U.S. Department of Interior
Secretary Haaland Creates New Missing & Murdered Unit to Pursue Justice for Missing or Murdered American Indians and Alaska Natives
Indian Affairs Announces New Tool to Bring Attention to Missing and Murdered Cases
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Resources
The following organizations, both Tribal and non-Tribal, may be useful for survivors, their relatives and friends. They are doing important work to combat violence against Native Peoples and the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons. Visit their websites to view their resources, reports, and other information.
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Alaska Native Women's Resource Center
(907) 328‑3990 | [email protected] The Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center (AKNWRC) is dedicated to strengthening local, tribal government’s responses through community organizing efforts advocating for the safety of women and children in their communities and homes, especially against domestic and sexual abuse and violence. Alliance of Tribal Coalitions to End Violence | (888) 577-0940 Promotion and sustenance of growth amongst Tribal Coalitions via parallel development, peer consultation, public policy proficiency, and effectual representation for the safety of indigenous women and their families. Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women | (505) 243-9199 CSVANW is an award winning organization at the forefront to a dynamic approach to the tribal domestic and sexual violence fields that is demonstrating the most effective, creative and innovative ways to address and prevent the cycle of violence within tribal communities. Federal Bureau of Investigation Indian Law Resource Center | (406) 449-2006 | [email protected] The Center’s Safe Women, Strong Nations project partners with Native women’s organizations and Indian and Alaska Native nations to end violence against Native women and children. Lakota People's Law Project LPLP aims to assist in the reclamation of Indigenous lands and to stop all threats to the Lakota culture. |
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Mending the Sacred Hoop | (888) 305-1650 | (218) 623-HOOP
Mending the Sacred Hoop, Inc. is a Native-led non-profit organization dedicated to addressing and ending violence against Native women.
MMIW USA | (503) 891-0040 | [email protected]
MMIW USA’s number one mission is to bring our missing home and help the families of the murdered cope and support them through the process of grief.
Montana Native Women’s Coalition | (406) 969-2552
To improve urban, rural, and Native American community responses to victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Montana Native Women's Coalition has added purpose of bringing together Native American leaders and representatives from state agencies that manage and administer state and federal funding for domestic violence and programming in Montana, to improve coordination, access, and resources for native women and tribal programs.
National Congress of American Indians | (202) 466-7767
NCAI, a non-profit organization, advocates for a bright future for generations to come by taking the lead to gain consensus on a constructive and promising vision for Indian Country.
National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards | (703) 780-3200
Founded in 1977, the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards promotes an exchange of information and ideas through a nationwide network of victim compensation programs.
National Indigenous Women's Resource Center | (406) 477-3896
The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Inc. (NIWRC) is a Native-led nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence against Native women and children.
Native Alliance Against Violence | (405) 801-2277 | [email protected]
Created in 2009, the Native Alliance Against Violence (NAAV), is a nonprofit organization operating as Oklahoma’s only tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalition. The NAAV is not a direct service provider, however we do serve Oklahoma’s federally recognized tribes and their tribal domestic violence and sexual assault programs.
Seeding Sovereignty | (917) 592-1432 | [email protected]
Seeding Sovereignty is a multi-lens collective that works to radicalize and disrupt colonized spaces through land, body, and food sovereignty work, community building, and cultural preservation.
Sovereign Bodies Institute | [email protected], [email protected]
Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI) builds on Indigenous traditions of data gathering and knowledge transfer to create, disseminate, and put into action research on gender and sexual violence against Indigenous People.
StrongHearts Native Helpline | 1−844-762-8483 | strongheartsnativehelpline.org
24/7 domestic, dating violence and sexual violence helpline for Native survivors and their relatives.
Urban Indian Health Institute | (206) 812-3030 | [email protected]
Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) is leading the way in research and data for urban American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Our Bodies, Our Stories is a series of reports that details the scope of violence against Native women and people across the nation. The report that started this project highlighted data relating to sexual violence against Native women in an urban setting—Seattle, Washington.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Native Americans
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of State
White Earth Reservation Tribal DOVE Program | (218) 983-4656 | 24-hour crisis line: 1-877-830-3683
The White Earth Reservation Tribal DOVE (Down ON Violence Everyday) Program serves victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Stalking, Dating Violence, Elder Abuse, Trafficking and General Crime and provides services to Native and non-Native women, men and youth who live on or near the White Earth Reservation.
WomenSpirit Coalition | (360) 681-3710
Advocates for and promotes policy on behalf of member Tribal programs to ensure that 1) Tribes are receiving equal access to funding streams to establish and maintain services to increase the safety of Native women victimized by crimes under the Violence Against Women Act, 2) that applications are “culturally relevant” and appropriate for Tribes, 3) that relevant Technical Assistance is offered to ensure successful implementation, 4) that set aside funding for Tribes is sufficient for meeting needs in Tribal communities, and 5) that Tribal communities have the opportunity to decide/give input into the funding processes and distribution of funds.
Mending the Sacred Hoop, Inc. is a Native-led non-profit organization dedicated to addressing and ending violence against Native women.
MMIW USA | (503) 891-0040 | [email protected]
MMIW USA’s number one mission is to bring our missing home and help the families of the murdered cope and support them through the process of grief.
Montana Native Women’s Coalition | (406) 969-2552
To improve urban, rural, and Native American community responses to victims of domestic and sexual violence. The Montana Native Women's Coalition has added purpose of bringing together Native American leaders and representatives from state agencies that manage and administer state and federal funding for domestic violence and programming in Montana, to improve coordination, access, and resources for native women and tribal programs.
National Congress of American Indians | (202) 466-7767
NCAI, a non-profit organization, advocates for a bright future for generations to come by taking the lead to gain consensus on a constructive and promising vision for Indian Country.
National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards | (703) 780-3200
Founded in 1977, the National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards promotes an exchange of information and ideas through a nationwide network of victim compensation programs.
National Indigenous Women's Resource Center | (406) 477-3896
The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Inc. (NIWRC) is a Native-led nonprofit organization dedicated to ending violence against Native women and children.
- Safety Guide
- Tribal Community Response When a Woman Is Missing: A Toolkit for Action
- "Understanding Trauma and Mental Health in the Context of Domestic Violence Advocacy" webinar
- “Effective Use of the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUS) for Case Resolution” webinar
Native Alliance Against Violence | (405) 801-2277 | [email protected]
Created in 2009, the Native Alliance Against Violence (NAAV), is a nonprofit organization operating as Oklahoma’s only tribal domestic violence and sexual assault coalition. The NAAV is not a direct service provider, however we do serve Oklahoma’s federally recognized tribes and their tribal domestic violence and sexual assault programs.
Seeding Sovereignty | (917) 592-1432 | [email protected]
Seeding Sovereignty is a multi-lens collective that works to radicalize and disrupt colonized spaces through land, body, and food sovereignty work, community building, and cultural preservation.
Sovereign Bodies Institute | [email protected], [email protected]
Sovereign Bodies Institute (SBI) builds on Indigenous traditions of data gathering and knowledge transfer to create, disseminate, and put into action research on gender and sexual violence against Indigenous People.
StrongHearts Native Helpline | 1−844-762-8483 | strongheartsnativehelpline.org
24/7 domestic, dating violence and sexual violence helpline for Native survivors and their relatives.
Urban Indian Health Institute | (206) 812-3030 | [email protected]
Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) is leading the way in research and data for urban American Indian and Alaska Native communities. Our Bodies, Our Stories is a series of reports that details the scope of violence against Native women and people across the nation. The report that started this project highlighted data relating to sexual violence against Native women in an urban setting—Seattle, Washington.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration for Native Americans
U.S. Department of Justice
U.S. Department of State
- Human Trafficking
- U.S. Government Entities Combating Human Trafficking in American Indian & Alaska Native (AI/AN) Communities
White Earth Reservation Tribal DOVE Program | (218) 983-4656 | 24-hour crisis line: 1-877-830-3683
The White Earth Reservation Tribal DOVE (Down ON Violence Everyday) Program serves victims of Sexual Assault, Domestic Violence, Stalking, Dating Violence, Elder Abuse, Trafficking and General Crime and provides services to Native and non-Native women, men and youth who live on or near the White Earth Reservation.
WomenSpirit Coalition | (360) 681-3710
Advocates for and promotes policy on behalf of member Tribal programs to ensure that 1) Tribes are receiving equal access to funding streams to establish and maintain services to increase the safety of Native women victimized by crimes under the Violence Against Women Act, 2) that applications are “culturally relevant” and appropriate for Tribes, 3) that relevant Technical Assistance is offered to ensure successful implementation, 4) that set aside funding for Tribes is sufficient for meeting needs in Tribal communities, and 5) that Tribal communities have the opportunity to decide/give input into the funding processes and distribution of funds.
Reports
Below is a list of reports on domestic, dating and sexual violence against Native Peoples and brief summaries.
Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and the Criminal Justice Response
This report is focused on violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women. It found that American Indian and Alaska Native women face the highest rates of rape and other sexual assaults and the second highest rates of homicide victimization. This report also accounts for the criminal justice responses to violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women. It cites the Major Crimes Act (1885) and the Indian Civil Rights Act (1968) as two major obstacles in the prosecution of offenders in these cases and goes into detail on a number of other legal barriers, making recommendations for better handling violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women in the future.
Human Trafficking in Indian Country
This brief highlights the “networks, pipelines, the victims [and] the systems that enable human trafficking.” It identifies root causes of trafficking, citing research that states that traffickers seek out persons perceived to be vulnerable, which can include vulnerability that comes from historical trauma and cultural loss. There is also data presented that emphasizes the impact of trafficking in Native communities, stating that 40 percent of women who were victims of sex trafficking identifies as American Indian or Alaskan Native, despite not representing more than 10 percent of the general population in any of the cities or counties that were surveyed. The brief identifies a lack of resources for Indigenous women that have been victimized and recommends a number of steps that Native communities and urban areas can take to assist and support victims.
Human Trafficking: Action Needed to Identify the Number of Native American Victims Receiving Federally-funded Services
This report focuses on federal efforts to address human trafficking. GAO studied the “extent to which (1) agencies collect and maintain data on investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking in Indian country or of Native Americans regardless of location and (2) federal grant programs are available to help address such trafficking, and how many Native American trafficking victims have recerived assistance through these programs.” While there is data available on the number of programs available, there is no known number of Native Americans that received services under these programs. The report also provides information on federal agencies that have begun to assess the prevalence of trafficking for a particular subgroup.
Urban Indian Health Institute: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
This report collects data from 71 urban cities in the US, identifying 506 cases. The report criticizes the lack of data collected and available, showing that out of the 5,712 cases of MMIWG reported in 2016, only 116 were logged in the Department of Justice database. UIHI identifies underreporting, racial misclassification, poor relationships between law enforcement and AI/AN communities, poor record-keeping protocols, institutional racism in the media, and a lack of substantive relationships between journalists and American Indian and Alaska native communities as reasons for the lack of quality data. UIHI also outlines the barriers they encountered in collecting data from states. For example, they were given $4,464.48 worth of invoices from agencies they had contacted.
Our Bodies, Our Stories
Our Bodies, Our Stories, is a collection of reports done by UIHI. The first covers sexual violence agains Native women in urban Seattle, Washington. UIHI administered a survey in the area that focused on sexual violence. Most of the participants were largely low-income and homeless women, however, which made the survey more specific to that community. Of the 148 interviewees, 139 had been raped or coerced at some point in their lives. 75% of these women “sometimes, often, or always felt sadness, anger, anxiety, or shame over the historical losses of Native people.” The report highlights the importance of this connection. The second reports on MMIWG in 71 urban cities across the country (see UIHI: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls). The third report will cover MMIWG in Alaska, it is in the process of being written.
International Advocacy to Help End Violence Against Native Women
This report from 2012 provides information and resources for the use of international advocacy in the fight to end violence against Indigenous women and girls. It provides information on legislation and governmental bodies at both the domestic and international level including the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council Bodies, the Organization of American States, and the Inter-American Commission. It also provides key documents that are of importance at each level.
VAWA 2013’s Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction Five-Year Report
This report focuses on the implementation of SDVCJ, which gave tribes the authority to fight the high level of domestic violence against Native women after several studies showed staggering rates of violence against Native women on reservations. The report, released in 2018, highlights results that show positive changes that have come from SDVCJ implementation. Given the profiles of the 18 tribes that had implemented SDVCJ, the report found that 85 defendants accounted for 378 prior contacts with tribal police before the implementation of SDVCJ and 51% of defendants were sent to rehabilitation programs.
Missing and Murdered Native American Women Report
This report was released by Washington State Patrol in 2019 in response to Substitute House Bill 2951, which ordered a study to (1) determine the scope of the problem, (2) identify barriers, and (3) create partnerships to increase reporting and investigation. The report outlines a number of steps that were taken to address the problems, including receiving community feedback and attempting to bring attention to under-utilized resources. The report tracks a number of conversations that were held with tribes where the attendees identified challenges (such as lack of communication with tribal communities, racial tension, jurisdiction issues, and mistrust) and offered suggestions to WSP (such as educating the community, training officers, providing a checklist on how to report, and the implementation of a truth and reconciliation process). The report cites SHP 2951 and 2SHB 1713 as steps in the right direction.
American Indian/ Alaska Native Victims of Lethal Firearm Violence in the United States
This study examines the impact of lethal firearm violence in the AI/AN community in the U.S. by analyzing mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)b and Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). While CDC mortality data capture more homicides in the U.S. compared to crime data, FBI SHR data provide additional details about homicide deaths not available in the CDC data used for this report. Therefore, this report includes CDC mortality data to describe victim demographics and the use of firearms for both homicide and suicide, while FBI SHR data describe the victim and offender relationship and circumstances for homicides.
Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and the Criminal Justice Response
This report is focused on violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women. It found that American Indian and Alaska Native women face the highest rates of rape and other sexual assaults and the second highest rates of homicide victimization. This report also accounts for the criminal justice responses to violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women. It cites the Major Crimes Act (1885) and the Indian Civil Rights Act (1968) as two major obstacles in the prosecution of offenders in these cases and goes into detail on a number of other legal barriers, making recommendations for better handling violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women in the future.
Human Trafficking in Indian Country
This brief highlights the “networks, pipelines, the victims [and] the systems that enable human trafficking.” It identifies root causes of trafficking, citing research that states that traffickers seek out persons perceived to be vulnerable, which can include vulnerability that comes from historical trauma and cultural loss. There is also data presented that emphasizes the impact of trafficking in Native communities, stating that 40 percent of women who were victims of sex trafficking identifies as American Indian or Alaskan Native, despite not representing more than 10 percent of the general population in any of the cities or counties that were surveyed. The brief identifies a lack of resources for Indigenous women that have been victimized and recommends a number of steps that Native communities and urban areas can take to assist and support victims.
Human Trafficking: Action Needed to Identify the Number of Native American Victims Receiving Federally-funded Services
This report focuses on federal efforts to address human trafficking. GAO studied the “extent to which (1) agencies collect and maintain data on investigations and prosecutions of human trafficking in Indian country or of Native Americans regardless of location and (2) federal grant programs are available to help address such trafficking, and how many Native American trafficking victims have recerived assistance through these programs.” While there is data available on the number of programs available, there is no known number of Native Americans that received services under these programs. The report also provides information on federal agencies that have begun to assess the prevalence of trafficking for a particular subgroup.
Urban Indian Health Institute: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
This report collects data from 71 urban cities in the US, identifying 506 cases. The report criticizes the lack of data collected and available, showing that out of the 5,712 cases of MMIWG reported in 2016, only 116 were logged in the Department of Justice database. UIHI identifies underreporting, racial misclassification, poor relationships between law enforcement and AI/AN communities, poor record-keeping protocols, institutional racism in the media, and a lack of substantive relationships between journalists and American Indian and Alaska native communities as reasons for the lack of quality data. UIHI also outlines the barriers they encountered in collecting data from states. For example, they were given $4,464.48 worth of invoices from agencies they had contacted.
Our Bodies, Our Stories
Our Bodies, Our Stories, is a collection of reports done by UIHI. The first covers sexual violence agains Native women in urban Seattle, Washington. UIHI administered a survey in the area that focused on sexual violence. Most of the participants were largely low-income and homeless women, however, which made the survey more specific to that community. Of the 148 interviewees, 139 had been raped or coerced at some point in their lives. 75% of these women “sometimes, often, or always felt sadness, anger, anxiety, or shame over the historical losses of Native people.” The report highlights the importance of this connection. The second reports on MMIWG in 71 urban cities across the country (see UIHI: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls). The third report will cover MMIWG in Alaska, it is in the process of being written.
International Advocacy to Help End Violence Against Native Women
This report from 2012 provides information and resources for the use of international advocacy in the fight to end violence against Indigenous women and girls. It provides information on legislation and governmental bodies at both the domestic and international level including the UN General Assembly, the UN Economic and Social Council Bodies, the Organization of American States, and the Inter-American Commission. It also provides key documents that are of importance at each level.
VAWA 2013’s Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction Five-Year Report
This report focuses on the implementation of SDVCJ, which gave tribes the authority to fight the high level of domestic violence against Native women after several studies showed staggering rates of violence against Native women on reservations. The report, released in 2018, highlights results that show positive changes that have come from SDVCJ implementation. Given the profiles of the 18 tribes that had implemented SDVCJ, the report found that 85 defendants accounted for 378 prior contacts with tribal police before the implementation of SDVCJ and 51% of defendants were sent to rehabilitation programs.
Missing and Murdered Native American Women Report
This report was released by Washington State Patrol in 2019 in response to Substitute House Bill 2951, which ordered a study to (1) determine the scope of the problem, (2) identify barriers, and (3) create partnerships to increase reporting and investigation. The report outlines a number of steps that were taken to address the problems, including receiving community feedback and attempting to bring attention to under-utilized resources. The report tracks a number of conversations that were held with tribes where the attendees identified challenges (such as lack of communication with tribal communities, racial tension, jurisdiction issues, and mistrust) and offered suggestions to WSP (such as educating the community, training officers, providing a checklist on how to report, and the implementation of a truth and reconciliation process). The report cites SHP 2951 and 2SHB 1713 as steps in the right direction.
American Indian/ Alaska Native Victims of Lethal Firearm Violence in the United States
This study examines the impact of lethal firearm violence in the AI/AN community in the U.S. by analyzing mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)b and Supplementary Homicide Report (SHR) data submitted to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). While CDC mortality data capture more homicides in the U.S. compared to crime data, FBI SHR data provide additional details about homicide deaths not available in the CDC data used for this report. Therefore, this report includes CDC mortality data to describe victim demographics and the use of firearms for both homicide and suicide, while FBI SHR data describe the victim and offender relationship and circumstances for homicides.
Additional Reports
- Two Countries in Crisis: Man Camps and the Nightmare of Non-Indigenous Criminal Jurisdiction in the United States and Canada
- Legislative Proposal for Honoring Promises to Native Nations Act, Summary of Broken Promises Report (2019)
- Indian Law & Order Commission A Roadmap for Making Native America Safer (2013)
- United States Commission on Civil Rights Report: A Quiet Crisis- Federal Funding and Unmet Needs in Indian Country (July 2003)
- United States Commission on Civil Rights Report: Broken Promises- Continuing Federal Funding Shortfall for Native Americans (December 2018)
- GAO Report: Domestic Violence, Sexual Assault, Dating Violence, and Stalking National Data Collection Efforts Underway to Address Some Information Gaps (2011)
- The Status of Navajo Women and Gender Violence: Conversations with Dine Traditional Medicine People and a Dialogue with the People (2016)
Federal Legislation
State Legislation
- Washington State House Bill 2951 would require the Washington State Patrol (WSP) to work with tribal law enforcement and the Governor’s Office of Indian Affairs to conduct a study to increase state resources for reporting and identifying missing Native American women throughout Washington state.
- North Dakota Representative Ruth Buffalo of Fargo introduced two bills that would require additional training and data collection by law enforcement related to missing and murdered indigenous people.
- The first bill (HB 1313) will require the state’s criminal justice data information sharing system to include data related to missing and murdered Indigenous Peoples.
- The other bill (HB 1311) would provide training for state’s attorneys and law enforcement officers and officials regarding missing and murdered indigenous people. The training would be provided by the North Dakota Human Trafficking Commission.
- Arizona House Bill 2570: Study committee; murdered Indigenous women.
- An act establishing a study committee on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls.
- Montana House Bill 21
- Act establishing "Hanna's Act"; authorizing the Department of Justice to assist with the Investigation of all missing persons cases
- New Mexico House Bill 278: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
- An act relating to missing persons; creating the missing and murdered Indigenous women task force; making and appropriation; declaring an emergency
- South Dakota Senate Bill 164
- An Act to provide uniform procedures for the reporting of and investigation of missing and murdered Indigenous women.
- North Dakota House Resolution 3056
- A concurrent resolution directing the Legislative Management to consider studying the issues and data reporting challenges related to missing and murdered indigenous people and human trafficking cases.
Tribal Legislation
- The Navajo Nation Law Against Human Trafficking
- Snoqualmie Tribal Code Title 7, Chapter 1
- Pascua Yaqui Tribal Code Title 4: Criminal Code
- Swinomis Tribal Code Title 4, Chapter 3: Criminal Code
- Tulalip Tribal Code Chapter 3.25: Offenses Against the Family
- Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Tribal Code Article XIII: Offenses Against Public Morality and Decency
