NPR: Criminals target a 'lawless' Indian Country

Friday, July 27, 2007  

"Chickasaw Tribal Police Chief Jason O'Neal has heard these stories, too. One day recently at the Chickasaw police headquarters, a call came in from a Native American woman who said she had been raped and didn't know where she was.

Standing in the doorway of the command center, O'Neal looked antsy.

"I know they're working on it — to locate her position and see if everything is OK," he said.

The identity of the woman and her attacker — and especially, her exact location — mean everything to O'Neal. If the woman is Indian on Indian land with an Indian attacker, he can help her. If not, there's often little he can do – and he says that's usually the case. According to a Justice Department report, 80 percent of Indian victims describe their attackers at non-native.

"Many of the criminals know Indian lands are almost a lawless community, where they can do whatever they want," O'Neal said.

In this case on this day, the woman turns up outside of tribal land, which means he cannot intervene and won't know what happened to her."

Get the Story:
Legal Hurdles Stall Rape Cases on Native Lands (National Public Radio 7/26)

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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