Listen to Indigenous Women

As a multigenerational, multicultural collective, we know Indigenous women have been leading this fight and we stand in solidarity and hope to support their advocacy. Indigenous women deserve justice, safety, and dignity. From creating secure and trauma-informed reporting mechanisms to economic and educational opportunities, Indigenous women’s self-determination must be at the forefront in the fight for gender equity.

Problem 

Indigenous women are kidnapped, raped, and murdered at disproportionately high rates and also face systemic barriers in receiving justice for the crimes. The U.S. government routinely fails to address the disappearances and violence towards Indigenous women, continuing a pattern of violence stemming from colonization. Although Indigenous people have their own justice systems on tribal land, non-Native people cannot be tried in Indigenous courts, which is a serious problem as 90% of physical abuse comes from non-Native partners. As a result of confusion of whether the FBI, State, or Tribe has responsibility for getting justice, Indigenous women continue to be violated and disappeared.

Our Plan 

Our plan is based on respecting tribal sovereignty, joining in solidarity in the fight for self-determination, providing legislative support in passing protective measures, and supporting initiatives to protect tribal land and communities.

• Strengthen existing legislation

  • Pressure the President to sign Savanna's Act into law to increase accountability.

  • Pass the Not Invisible Act to allow for grants, programs, and increased coordination to be transferred to Tribal governments.

  • Increase resources for tribes to be able to effectively utilize the Violence Against Women Act.

  • Formalize the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples into law.

• Protect sovereignty & community-led solutions

  • Halt the stealing of Indigenous lands, and prevent oil pipelines and other environmentally harmful legislation from passing.

  • Ensure Indigenous peoples have the resources to develop and support culturally relevant education, health programs, and drug/alcohol treatment on reservations.

• Increase economic and political pathways for Indigenous peoples, specifically women, and Two-Spirit peoples

  • Create an advisory committee of Indigenous delegates who oversee and provide policy recommendations at multiple levels of government and agencies.

  • Increase tribal delegates from tribes to Congress, and make delegates voting members.

  • Create a fund for supporting Indigenous women and survivors of Native backgrounds, and support Indigenous women's makers collectives.

This Matters

The epidemic of violence that continues to disappear Indigenous women is completely unacceptable. The violence their bodies endure is at the nexus of three different judicial systems. This should not stand in the way of justice and safety.