Statistics on domestic violence in Indian Country may be hard to come by but almost everyone agrees Native women are victimized at rates far higher than any other racial or ethnic group in the United States.

"Victimization or intimate-partner violence in Indian country � you�re looking at it in epidemic proportions," Elena Giacci, the director for the Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women, told The Santa Fe New Mexican.

The Department of Justice has released reports that show high rates of violence against Native women. But statistics on a tribe or reservation basis aren't readily accessible due to differences in laws. Since most of the perpetrators are non-Indian, tribes lack jurisdiction to prosecute.

The Peacekeepers Domestic Violence Program, which serves eight tribes in northern New Mexico, says tribes need to establish domestic violence codes or else it will remain a problem.

Get the Story:
Indian Country: Domestic violence in 'epidemic proportions' (The Santa Fe New Mexican 11/8)
pwpwd

Domestic Violence Bill:
S.1197: Violence Against Women Act of 2005

Relevant Links:
National Congress of American Indians - http://www.ncai.org
National Coalition Against Domestic Violence - http://www.ncadv.org

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