Authored by: bec ritchie, NGO CSW/NY Advocacy & Admin Intern
Statistically, women of color are at a higher risk of experiencing gender-based violence. Indigenous and Native women consistently comprise the highest-risk population of women in color. According to the Department of Justice, in the United States, Indigenous women and girls face murder rates more than 10 times the national average in some communities. Homicide is the third highest cause of death in Indigenous women and girls 10-24 years of age, and the fifth for women between the ages of 25-34. The CDC finds that approximately 58% of Native American and Alaska Native women experienced intimate partner violence during their lifetimes, and such violence is a factor in approximately 44% of homicides of Native American and Alaska Native women.
‘Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG)’ refers to instances of violence against Indigenous women. ‘MMIWG’ is often used within and in reference to those in the US and Canada, but it also refers to such instances across the globe, and also describes the corresponding grassroots movement to raise awareness of what is often described as an epidemic of violence against Native and Indigenous women—forms of activism include marches, holding local community, city council, and tribal council meetings, pushing for and conducting domestic violence training and other informational sessions for both communities and authorities, and creating databases of the missing women (statistics which themselves are glaringly consistently missing or inaccurate across the globe).
According to a National Crime Information Center report, in 2016, there were 5,712 reports of missing Native American and Alaska Native women and girls. The US Department of Justice’s federal missing person database logged 116 cases. On factors surrounding this issue, Native Hope, a Native non-profit organization that addresses injustices done to and faced by Native Americans, notes that only 22% of Native Americans live on tribal lands or reservations, and many split time between tribal and state lands. Native Hope outlines that this presents a variety of crucial issues involving reporting policies, jurisdictional complications, and communication and coordination problems between agencies.
Within the US and Canada, research indicates a connection between extractivist industries and missing and murdered Indigenous women—tying together the oil industry boom and an increase in violence against Indigenous peoples, specifically women and girls. According to Greenpeace, industries like mining, logging, and fossil fuels are some of the largest perpetuating factors of violence, trafficking, and murder against Indigenous women, in part due to an influx of ‘transient male workers’ to rural areas, who live in what are sometimes referred to as ‘man-camps,’ often near Indigenous Reservations:
‘In North Dakota, the Bakken ‘oil boom’ and resulting arrival of thousands of workers to the area brought with it a surge in rates of violent crime and aggravated assault. The state had at least 125 cases of missing Indigenous women during this time—though in reality, the numbers are likely much higher than that, because data on Indigenous women is often reported incorrectly or not collected at all.’
Across Canada and the US, May 5th is recognized as the National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women, also known as Red Dress Day. This day is often marked by people hanging red dresses from trees, windows, fences, and balconies, as visual reminders of the thousands of missing Indigenous women, girls, and two-spirit people. A red hand over the mouth has also become the symbol of the MMIW movement, representing both the voices of missing and murdered Indigenous that cannot be heard, and the corresponding silence of the media, law enforcement, and society.
Information & Resources:
US Department of the Interior, Indian Affairs: Missing and Murdered Indigenous People Crisis
