MURDERED & MISSING INDIGENOUS WOMEN
Our women, girls, and two-spirts are being taken from us in an alarming way. As of 2016, the National Crime Information Center has reported 5,712 cases of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. Strikingly, the U.S Department of Justice missing persons database has only reported 116 cases. The majority of these murders are committed by non-Native people on Native-owned land. The lack of communication combined with jurisdictional issues between state, local, federal, and tribal law enforcement, make it nearly impossible to begin the investigative process. Please click here to learn more.
STATISTICS
Indigenous Women (girls +) murdered 10x higher than all other ethnicities.
Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Indigenous Women (Centers for Disease Control).
More than 4 out of 5 Indigenous Women have experienced violence (84.3%) (National Institute of Justice Report).
More than half Indigenous Women experience sexual violence (56.1%).
More than half Indigenous Women have been physically abused by their intimate partners (55.5 percent).
less than half of Indigenous Women have been stalked in their lifetime (48.8 percent).
Indigenous Women are 1.7 times more likely than Anglo-American women to experience violence.
Indigenous Women are 2xs more likely to be raped than Anglo-American white women.
Murder rate of Indigenous Women is 3xs higher than Anglo-American women.
POLICY INITIATIVES AND LANDMARKS
May 5, 2019 - The White House proclamation officially designated as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
2019 - Executive Order 13898, a/k/a Operation Lady Justice, creates a task force for missing and murdered AI/AN peoples that will address the concerns of Indigenous communities in the U.S., such as data collection, policies, establish cold-case teams, and improve investigative responses.
2020 - Savanna’s Act became law and requires the Department of Justice to review, revise and develop policies and protocols to address MMIP cases.
2021 - Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) announced the formation of the Missing and Murdered Unit that will focus on analyzing and solving missing and murdered Indigenous peoples (MMIP) cases.
Data collection remains difficult because of poor record-keeping, underreporting, racial misclassification, and media coverage. Statistics from law enforcement and media reports create an inaccurate picture of MMIWG because these reports minimize the extent to which Indigenous Women and girls experience violence. In each of these state reports, inaccuracies exist due to underreporting and racial misclassification. Further, the lack of consistent and current data limit the depth of these reports. Therefore, the statistics are most likely an undercount. While condensing Indigenous Women’s experiences into a numerical value is a heavy burden that potentially relegates human women, girls and two-spirit into statistics, the current numbers illustrate the harrowing conditions for Indigenous persons within the U.S.
The purpose of this project is to provide a breadth of statistics related to MMIWG2 within the United States. Below, there is a list of state names with their respective report and statistics.
++++ This report is the second of the Our Bodies, Our Stories series. Go to UIHI.org to read the first report regarding sexual violence against Native Women in Seattle, Washington. Urban Indian Health Institute is a division of the Seattle Indian Health Board. Donate to future projects that will strengthen the health of Native people by going to http://www.sihb.org/get-involved-donate.
NO MORE STOLEN SISTERS
The founders of Native Womens Wilderness and Indigenous Women Hike came together, and along with Native artists created this beautiful image to honor our woman and support the campaign. #MMIW is very close to our hearts, through personal experiences and love for our People. Red is the official color of the #MMIW campaign, but it goes deep and has significant value. In various tribes, red is known to be the only color spirits see. It is hoped that by wearing red, we can call back the missing spirits of our women and children so we can lay them to rest. Through our amazing artist @the_tactician and editor @warpartypictures, we chose a turquoise teardrop earring to represent our sorrow and tears. Turquoise is worn for protection by many tribes to ward off evil spirits, but it's also a symbol of strength and prosperity. May our women and children prosper and be kept safe.
ALABAMA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
ALASKA
We Are Calling to You: Alaska’s Missing and Murdered Indigenous Womxn and Girls.
ARIZONA
ARKANSAS
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
CALIFORNIA
To’Kee Skuy’Soo Ney-wo-Chek’ – I Will See You Again in a Good Way.
COLORADO
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
CONNECTICUT
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
DELWARE
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
FLORIDA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
GEORGIA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
HAWAII
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
IDAHO
Idaho Summit on Missing & Murdered Indigenous People Report.
ILLINOIS
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
INDIANA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
IOWA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
KANSAS
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
KENTUCKY
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
LOUISIANA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
MAINE
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
MARYLAND
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
MASSACHUSETTS
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
MICHIGAN
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
MINNESOTA
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force: A Report to the Minnesota Legislature.
Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota
MISSISSIPPI
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
MISSOURI
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
MONTANA
Looping in Native Communities: Report to the State-Tribal Relations Interim Committee.
NEBRASKA
NEVADA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
NEW JERSEY
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
NEW MEXICO
New Mexico Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives.
NEW YORK
There is a current MMIWGT2S NYC+ Task Force Application. However, there are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
NORTH CAROLINA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
NORTH DAKOTA
Refer to South Dakota. However, there is no publicly available state-specific report or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
OHIO
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
OKLAHOMA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
OREGON
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Persons Report. This report is preceded by the Oregon State Police Report on Missing and Murdered Native American Women: Listening and Understanding Tour House Bill 2625.
PENNSYLVANIA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
RHODE ISLAND
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
SOUTH CAROLINA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
SOUTH DAKOTA
TENNESSEE
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
There will be a Missing and Murdered Unit office located in Nashville at the BIA OJS Office.
TEXAS
There are no publicly available reports or statistics . If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
UTAH
The Paiute Indian Tribe of Utah Position Statement
VERMONT
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
VIRGINIA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
WASHINGTON
Missing & Murdered Native American Women Report
WEST VIRGINIA
There are no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
WISCONSIN
MMIW Task Force WI: Strategic Plan and Toolkit. Menīkānaehkem Inc. is a women’s leadership cohort that addresses MMIW. They created a strategic plan and toolkit for Wisconsin. However, there are currently no publicly available reports or statistics. If this is inaccurate and you know of resources, please contact info@nativewomenswilderness.org.
WYOMING
Missing & Murdered Indigenous People: Statewide Report Wyoming
The state mandated reports illustrate a distressing reality for Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit persons. Underreporting and misclassification are prevalent challenges when diagnosing the problem of MMIWG2. However, Indigenous women and girls are at a higher risk of going missing and being murdered than the general population. Fortunately, there is more mainstream visibility about this issue now than in the past 40 years. While most of the western states in the United States of America have implemented a statewide study or are in the interim, Colorado and Nevada have yet to begin this critical conversation. As demonstrated by the statewide reports, violence does not stop at state borders. Given that Colorado is surrounded by several states with large Native populations and has a 1% Native population density in Denver, there is a practical need for Colorado to investigate the prevalence of MMIWG2 within its borders.
Information provided by: Felicia Bartley, Isleta Pueblo