Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women

Indigenous people are at a disproportionate risk of experiencing violence, murder, and make up a significant portion of the missing and murdered cases.

• A 2016 study by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) found that more than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women (84.3 percent) have experienced violence in their lifetime, including 56.1 percent who have experienced sexual violence.
• In the year leading up to the study, 39.8 percent of American Indian and Alaska Native women had experienced violence, including 14.4 percent
  who had experienced sexual violence.
• Overall, more than 1.5 million American Indian and Alaska Native women
  have experienced violence in their lifetime.
• The murder rate of Indigenous women is three times higher than non- Native women. It is the third leading cause of death for Indigenous women

The Meherrin Indian Tribe supports the complete and thorough implementation of Savanna’s Act.
Savanna’s act was named after Savanna Lafontaine-Greywind, who was murdered in 2017 at 22 years of age.

S.227 – Savanna’s Act: Became Public Law No: 116-165 on Oct. 10, 2020. This bill directs the Department of Justice (DOJ) to review, revise, and develop law enforcement and justice protocols to address missing or murdered Native Americans.

In short, the bill requires DOJ to:

• provide training and technical assistance to tribes and law enforcement agencies;
• develop and implement the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System;
• conduct outreach to tribes, tribal organizations, and urban Indian organizations;
• develop guidelines for response to missing and murdered case;
• report statistics on missing or murdered Native Americans.

The Meherrin Indian Tribe supports the complete and thorough implementation of the Not Invisible Act

S.982 – Not Invisible Act of 2019: Became Public Law No: 116-166 on Oct. 10, 2020. This bill increases the coordination of efforts to reduce violent crime within Indian lands and against Indians.