Native women seek end to domestic violence

Thursday, July 12, 2007  

More than 250 Native women from 17 countries are meeting on the Kahnawake Mohawk Reserve in Quebec for a conference on domestic violence.

According to a 2006 report by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, reserve residents are several times more likely to be sexually assaulted. Reports by Amnesty International and the U.S. Department of Justice confirm high rates of violence against women.

"It's a constant struggle to have to address these issues in our community," Beverley Jacobs, the president of the Native Women's Association of Canada, said at the meeting of the Indigenous Women of the Americas, the Canadian Press reported.

Attendees said preventing violence against women requires a major change in culture. Some linked rapes and sexual assaults to the legacy of colonization.

Get the Story:
Native leaders call for mind shift to combat violence against women (CP 7/11)

Amnesty International Report:
Full Report | Press Release

Online Discussion:
Violence against Native American and Alaska Native Women (April 24, 2007)

Relevant Links:
Join Voices with Native American and Alaska Native Women and Take Action to Stop the Violence - http://www.amnestyusa.org/maze

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