Report finds little progress reducing violence against Native American women

May 18, 20220

count

Kathleen Goggleye takes part in the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Peoples March in Minneapolis on Feb. 14. The annual event was held in honor of in honor of indigenous people who are missing or have been killed. Christine T. Nguyen | MPR News 2020

A report released May 17 by Amnesty International USA finds little progress has been made in reducing the rate of sexual violence against Native American women since an earlier report in 2007.

"At least 56 percent of Native women have experienced sexual violence, and at least one in three have experienced rape, which is 2.2 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women," said Tarah Demant, interim national director for programs, government relations and advocacy at Amnesty International USA. "But because of the inadequate data tracking that happens by the U.S. government, these numbers are likely actually much lower than reality."

In addition to missing data, the report identifies tangled legal jurisdiction among federal, state and tribal governments, a lack of funding for law enforcement and prosecution as issues hampering efforts to reduce the disproportionate violence.

https://www.mprnews.org/story/2022/05/16/amnesty-report-no-progress-in-reducing-violence-against-native-women