{"id":4236,"date":"2020-05-05T08:19:43","date_gmt":"2020-05-05T12:19:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianz.com\/covid19\/?p=4236"},"modified":"2020-05-05T08:23:27","modified_gmt":"2020-05-05T12:23:27","slug":"missing-and-murdered-native-women-and-girls-national-day-of-action-national-indigenous-womens-resource-council","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/indianz.com\/covid19\/2020\/05\/05\/missing-and-murdered-native-women-and-girls-national-day-of-action-national-indigenous-womens-resource-council\/","title":{"rendered":"Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls – National Day of Action (National Indigenous Women’s Resource Council"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls – National Day of Action<\/h1>\n
Date: Tuesday, May 5, 2020<\/div>\n
Time: 3:00 PM – 4:30 PM EDT<\/div>\n
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During the period of 1979 through 1992, homicide was the third-leading cause of death of Indian females aged 15 to 34, and 75 percent were killed by family members or acquaintances. In 2005, the movement for safety of Native women resulted in the inclusion of the \u201cSafety for Indian Women\u201d title within the Violence Against Women Act. A study released by the U.S. Department of Justice has found that in some tribal communities, American Indian women face murder rates that are more than 10 times the national average. Over the last decade awareness of this national issue has increased but more must be done to stop disappearances and save lives. Please join us on May 5th, 2020, as we honor missing and murdered Indigenous women and together increase our national awareness and demand change at the tribal, federal and state levels.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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This presentation is a prerecording.<\/p>\n

Register: https:\/\/register.gotowebinar.com\/register\/1719522242742313485<\/a><\/p>\n

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Join National Day of Awareness to Commemorate Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls – May 5th<\/h1>\n
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Join NIWRC’s 2020 #MMIWGActionNow Campaign<\/strong><\/p>\n

As we are challenged by the difficult times created by the COVID-19 pandemic, advocates, shelters, and programs continue their tireless and dedicated efforts to avoid disrupting services for survivors. Looking ahead to the efforts to commemorate May 5th as the National Day of Awareness (NDA) for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls, we are challenged as a national movement to reconsider how best to honor our missing and murdered Indigenous women amidst the pandemic.<\/p>\n

While the important public health policies of social distancing and \u201cshelter-in-place\u201d may prevent in-person MMIWG activities, we strongly encourage communities and programs to creatively participate in this year\u2019s National Day of Awareness. We need action now! <\/strong>The National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls honors the lives of our Native sisters and helps shed light on the countless tragedies involving our Native sisters.<\/p>\n

The continuing reports of abductions and murders of Native women and girls represent one of the most horrific aspects of the spectrum of violence committed against Native women. The murder rate of Native women is more than ten times the national average on some reservations. Often, these disappearances or murders are connected to crimes of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and sex trafficking.<\/p>\n

In 2017, the Montana Congressional Delegation led the way for passage of a Senate resolution declaring May 5 as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls. May 5th was the birthday of Hanna Harris, a 21-year-old member of the Northern Cheyenne tribe who went missing on July 4, 2013. Each year since 2017, the national movement to end violence against Native women has organized activities in support of the May 5th National Day of Awareness.<\/p>\n

This National Day of Awareness also highlights the need for ongoing grassroots advocacy and changes to the laws, policies, and increased allocation of resources to end these injustices. Individual and\/or joint actions at the local, tribal, state, national, and international levels are needed this year. The issues surrounding missing and murdered Native women must be brought into the public’s awareness to increase the accountability of the justice systems. In uncertain times such as these, where people are forced to work from home or lose their jobs altogether, it can put people in abusive relationships at further risk. Public statements honoring and calling for justice for MMIWG can also serve as statements of support for those who are suffering from abuse and violence. Turning our grief to action, NIWRC strongly supports and calls upon Congress to address:<\/p>\n

1) the need for increased tribal victim services and tribal justice resources affirmed in several federal reports, and<\/p>\n

2) the inadequate responses of the federal and state criminal justice systems that fail Native women.<\/p>\n

NIWRC is committed to increasing safety and access to justice for American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women and their children, by bringing awareness to this critical issue of missing and murdered Native women and girls. We believe that we can continue to build strong support and action around MMIWG but only with your help.<\/p>\n

Please join us for the following activities:<\/strong><\/p>\n