DOJ task force on violence and Native youth holds meeting

Wednesday, February 12, 2014  

The Advisory Committee of the Attorney General's Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence held its second meeting on Tuesday.

The committee met on the Salt-River Pima Maricopa Indian Community in Arizona. Members heard from Native youth, tribal leaders and advocates who are looking for ways to combat violence on reservations.

"Sadly, we know that the road to involvement in the juvenile justice system is often paved by experiences of victimization and trauma," Associate Attorney General Tony West said at the meeting. "The rate of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder for Indian youth is almost triple the rate of the general population and is comparable to the rates of PTSD among soldiers returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Two more meetings will be held in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and in Anchorage, Alaska.

Get the Story:
Federal panel visits Arizona to discuss violence against reservation children (Cronkite News 2/11)

Native Sun News: DOJ task force discusses violence and children (12/23)
Task force on Native children holds hearing in North Dakota (12/10)