Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Awareness Month

Washington comments on the impact of land management authority in oil and gas leasing amid the missing and murdered indigenous women's crisis. The author argues that the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) must anticipate and plan for Native women's safety concerns by analyzing the human environmental consequences of extractive projects on federal and Indian lands. Without these considerations, the BLM's increasingly obsequious leasing process puts Native communities- particularly Native women- at risk.

The Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) was hallmark legislation aimed at combating violence against women. While violence against women is a national issue that affects women of all race/ethnicities, it affects Native American women the most, as Native women experience the highest rates of violence. Violence against Native women is rooted in colonization because it decreases the power of tribal government, diminishes tribal sovereignty, and devalues Native Americans, which in turn leaves Native women more vulnerable to victimization. As such, amendments to VAWA must take particular action on violence against Native women, including actions that support decolonization. The 2013 VAWA reauthorization acknowledged colonization and was the federal government’s first step in the decolonization process. It restored tribal jurisdiction over some VAWA crimes, but there are still gaps regarding protecting Native women. This policy analysis examines the proposed VAWA reauthorization, HR 1620, and provides three specific recommendations in order to better protect Native women: (1) allow tribes to write their own rape laws, (2) expand tribal jurisdiction to all VAWA crimes and stranger and acquaintance violence, and (3) enhance tribes’ abilities to secure VAWA funds and resources. These recommendations are discussed in terms of existing literature and implications for Native people and Native communities.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) are victims of pervasive violence that began centuries ago, one that has gone unrecognized by governments, institutions, and society as a whole. To fight this silencing, Native communities have come together to decolonize the narrative, advocate for MMIWG, and honor the lost lives of their daughters, sisters, and matriarchs. We provide an overview of the history of MMIWG, the lack of response by the US government, and the decolonial action and advocacy by Native communities. However, we also go far beyond the typical academic article, in that we present both the factual information behind MMIWG and the emotional weight that each of the authors and those we know carry. We have incorporated stories, pictures, art, and the names of MMIWG to illustrate the ongoing reality of the attempted genocide of Native women and girls. We pray that this article aids in the honoring of our lost sisters and their families while bringing awareness of this tragedy to the eyes of those who can join us in fighting the silence.

In the US, American Indian and Alaskan Native people experience higher rates of violence than all other ethnicities. The purpose of the present research has been to investigate the MMIW crisis, determine the cities with the highest rates of MMIW, and to begin an initial investigation into the root causes for this national crisis. In the present study, missing persons data was analyzed from the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NamUs), the National Crime Information Center (NCIC), and from data collected and published in a report produced by the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI). Additionally, unidentified persons data was analyzed from NamUs, and data regarding murder cases of indigenous women was analyzed from the UIHI report. Locations with the highest rates of MMIW cases in the country were identified as potential “hot spots”. Following the analysis, a total of 23 locations were determined to be “hot spots” for MMIW cases. Of these 23 locations, five were identified as being of the highest priority for intervention due to their disproportionately high rates of MMIW cases. Furthermore, hydraulic fracking across the US seems to be a likely contributing factor in the rate of MMIW cases in nine to 16 of the identified “hot spots”. Currently in the US, despite a national movement to raise awareness to the MMIW crisis, there has yet to be any direct actions taken by the federal government to address this issue. The present study has served to identify the primary “hot spots” for MMIW cases and has isolated some key contributing factors to this national problem. In order to most holistically address this issue, actions need to be taken at both the local and federal levels.

This article details how the current epidemic of violence against Indigenous women in North America - as well as Native-led movements like Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls (MMIWG) - is connected to and rooted in the historical past. Using the case of the Muscogee (Creek) peoples and their interactions with the Spanish, French, English, and Americans in the eighteenth-century, this manuscript grapples with the acts of sexual violence enacted by Euro-Americans, how Muscogee men and women responded to such violence, and the legacies of such violence today. The author intends to spark a conversation among historians, particularly scholars of the American South, to finally extend the conversations about sexual violence to the history of Indigenous Peoples.

Native American (NA) women experience higher rates of intimate partner violence (IPV) compared to other U.S. racial/ethnic groups, yet previous research has not sufficiently examined the complex determinants shaping their IPV experiences. This research explores the interplay of family networks and legal systems influencing NA women’s IPV experiences. Data were collected through in-depth individual and group interviews with 42 NA survivors and 41 health/social service providers from July 2016 to June 2017 in NA communities from three different U.S. regions. We used Grounded Theory to develop emergent themes from the data, focusing on system-level risk and protective factors of women’s of IPV experiences. In terms of family systems, participants indicated that NA communities were comprised of highly influential and interwoven family systems, making them powerful sources of support for both survivors and their partners who use violence. Participants described how intergenerational violence exposures contributed to the normalization of violence. In terms of legal systems, participants described inconsistent consequences for abusers of NA women, insufficient protection from legal systems, and manipulation of jurisdictional complexities. Interactions between family and legal systems influenced decision-making and outcomes. Family and community-based approaches, and the incorporation of traditional language and cultures, are needed to promote healing. Our findings reflect the complex ways that family and legal systems shape NA women’s IPV experiences. Results provide insight into how NA women interact with and navigate these systems when experiencing IPV and how these systems impact decision-making and the ability to be safe from IPV. Research is needed to advance understanding of the inter-relationships between intergenerational trauma, family systems, and legal systems on IPV survivors’ mental health and wellness. To make meaningful change, further research examining IPV from an interdisciplinary perspective that explores the interplay of social determinants of health inequities is needed.