News

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) is providing new resources, including the 2019 Call to Action to support a National Day of Awareness for MMIWG, a MMIW Special Collections Resource Page, a MMIW Webinar scheduled on May 2^nd, updated MMIW digital awareness cards and a slideshow encouraging tribal communities to wear red on May 5^th to raise awareness of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women.

The NIWRC continues to support organizing efforts, from the grassroots to national level, to address the horrific ongoing violence committed against Native women and girls, particularly the reports of those missing and murdered. S. Res. 144 introduced by Senator Daines, and joined by Senators Tester, Hoeven, Rounds, Warren, Gardner, Crapo, Lankford, and Murkowski is a resolution designating May 5, 2019 as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.  The NIWRC not only calls for signatures in support of the resolution but also calls on the movement to join efforts to urge a House resolution.

The NIWRC continues to honor the survival and resiliency of our Indigenous sisters, grandmothers, mothers, daughters, and aunties, despite enduring generations of forced colonization and genocide. Homicide is a leading cause of death for Native women and compared to their white counterparts, Native women are five times as likely to have experienced physical violence by a non-Native intimate partner. Gender-based violence against Native women and girls has been wrongfully normalized in this country since contact. Historically, rape of Native women was not considered a crime and continues to result in minimal response by the federal government. This lack of response increases the vulnerability of Native women and girls to predators and abusers.

Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls continues to be a serious crisis within the United States. “Together, we call for prayer and healing for the families in response to this violence,” said Lucy Simpson, Executive Director of the NIWRC.  “But we also demand meaningful legislative reforms that remove barriers to safety for Indian women by recognizing and strengthening the sovereign ability of all tribal nations to protect Indian women and their children.”

The NIWRC envisions a return to Indigenous values where women are recognized as sacred. We lift up our prayers for the families of MMIWG victims that tirelessly advocate for their loved ones, as well as the tireless advocates and allies that continue the hard and meaningful work to provide safety to Native women. We join together to call upon the United States and its people to remember that women are sacred and must be treated with dignity and respect. 

TAKE ACTION! RESOURCES for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls:

• REGISTER: NIWRC’s free Webinar May 2, 2019 2pm CST- “Honoring Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women to Guide our Advocacy for Change.” The webinar will be recorded and available on NIWRC’s Resource Library at www.niwrc.org. Register at https://register.gotowebinar.com/register/4091397513140739074
• SIGN ON: Support May 5^th as the National Day of Awareness for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScW6R4jHRrDDBLLWXZJhklEQti295BOgi6UGn0-g_xWEpL-Jg/viewform
• EXPLORE: MMIW Special Collections Resource Listing http://www.niwrc.org/resources/special-collection-missing-murdered-indigenous-women-girls
• DOWNLOAD: Wear Red for MMIW Digital Postcards and share on your social media with hashtags: #MMIW, #MMIWG, #WhyWeWearRed- https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vodfuuf_xIVW_NgLMhV5am3wVM-wRnxC?usp=sharing
• WATCH: NIWRC’s 2019 Wear Red Slide Show for MMIWG May 5^th Social Media Campaign! https://youtu.be/eCloku5VWfw
• DOWNLOAD: "Tribal Community Response When a Woman is Missing: A Toolkit for Action" in NIWRC’s Resource Library. http://www.niwrc.org/resources/tribal-community-response-when-woman-missing-toolkit-action
• SHARE: The StrongHearts Native Helpline (1-844-7NATIVE). Help us get the word out to our relatives in need! The StrongHearts Native Helpline is a safe, confidential and free helpline for American Indians and Alaska Natives impacted by domestic violence and dating violence. Trained Native advocates offer emotional support, crisis intervention, assistance with safety planning, and a connection to local Native resources. If you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship, get free, confidential support and referrals to resources by calling 1-844-7NATIVE (762-8483), available daily from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. CST nationwide. Callers reaching out after hours may connect with the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1−800−799−7233) by selecting option 1. More information at www.strongheartshelpline.org
• MMIW DATABASE: The Sovereign Bodies Institute. https://www.sovereign-bodies.org/mmiw-database?fbclid=IwAR15hpz2hfDmSFuqs0PZIvvH9e4VcGvdnk4aT0Cqhhua7DKRR5iPOv7nxag
• DOWNLOAD: Urban Indian Health Institute’s “Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls: A Snapshot of data from 71 Urban Cities in the United States.” http://www.uihi.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/Missing-and-Murdered-Indigenous-Women-and-Girls-Report.pdf
• DATABASE: NamUS-National Missing and Unidentified Persons System.
• EXPLORE: NIWRC’s Online Resource Library for past webinars, reports, and articles on MMIW.