Donna Ennis: Recommendations for defending Indian children

The National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence presented its final report and recommendations to Attorney General Eric Holder in December 2012. Recently, Holder outlined the initial steps to implement the recommendations of the department’s Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence, part of the Defending Childhood Initiative. There were 56 recommendations made by the Attorney General’s National Task Force on Children Exposed to Violence. The Task Force Recommendations include:

1. Appoint a federal task force or commission to examine the needs of American Indian/Alaska Native children exposed to violence.

2. Ensure compliance with the letter and spirit of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA).

3. Provide juvenile justice services appropriate to children’s ethno-cultural background that are based on an assessment of each violence-exposed child’s individual needs.