"What you won’t hear on the news, is how each year millions of American Indian/Native American women are abused physically and/or emotionally with little to no means of escape. Every hour of every day, one American Indian/Native American woman is the victim of a physical or sexual assault in the United States. Chances are someone you know – your mother, sister, friend, co-worker, or neighbor – is a victim of violence.

American Indians, in general, experience per capita rates of violence that are much higher than those of the general population. In particular, the rate of aggravated assault among American Indians and Alaska Natives is roughly twice that of the country as a whole (600.2 per 100,000 versus 323.6 per 100,000). Victimization statistics indicate similar findings. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics of the Department of Justice, 70% of American Indians who are the victims of violent crimes are victimized by someone of a different race, usually African American or white. Because of these high rates of violence, American Indian women are at high risk of violence domestic or otherwise.

The term violence against women applies to domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, whether by an intimate partner, family member or a stranger. Violence against women is a major problem for Native women wherever they are, including on reservations or Indian communities. 1 out of 3 American Indian and Alaskan Native women are raped in their lifetime, compared with about one out of five women in the overall national statistic. American Indian and Alaska Native women experience sexual assaults per 1000 per year compared to 3 per 1000 among Black Americans, 2 per 1000 among Caucasians and 1 per 1000 among Asian Americans. American Indians were victimized by an intimate at rates higher than those for all other females – 23 American Indians per 1,000 persons age 12 or older compared to 11 blacks, 8 whites, and 2 Asians.

These statistics, however, are general and do not pertain particularly to violence against Native women on reservations or under tribal jurisdiction (i.e. – in Indian Country). Accurate statistical data on violence against women in Indian country is hard to come by. There is in fact no comprehensive data on violence against women under tribal jurisdiction, since no federal or Indian agency/organization systematically collects this information. In general, data on crime in Indian country is poor, partly due to underreporting of crimes to the tribal authorities and partly due to underreporting to the federal authorities."

Get the Story:
Brenda Golden: In Indian Country - It Could be Your Mother, Sister, Aunt or Daughter (The Native American Community Examiner 7/11)

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