Restoration Magazine

At the 2014 World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, indigenous nations and indigenous women’s and tribal organizations secured commitments from the UN and its member states to implement the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Work continues to realize the important commitments set out in the World Conference Outcome Document, including but not limited to decisions to intensify efforts to address violence against indigenous women and to create new rules for indigenous governments to participate in UN processes.

UN Commission on the Status of Women (March 14-24, 2017)

The Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center (AKNWRC), the Indian Law Resource Center, the International Mayan League/USA, the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, and the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) attended the UN Commission on the Status of Women’s 61st session in March to make recommendations to the UN and member states on actions they can take to end violence against indigenous women. The Commission is the UN body dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. The Commission designated the “Empowerment of Indigenous Women” as the Focus Area for the session, a theme suggested to the Commission by the General Assembly in the World Conference Outcome Document. This year’s meetings thus provided an important international forum to raise awareness about violence against indigenous women. “We, along with our partners, were very happy to help bring the perspective of indigenous women in the United States and Guatemala to the event,” said Chris Foley, attorney at the Indian Law Resource Center.

To inform the Commission, the Indian Law Resource Center submitted a joint written statement with the Ewiiaapaayp Band of Kumeyaay Indians and supported by the NIWRC and California Association of Tribal Governments. To further raise awareness, the Center joined with the AKNWRC, the International Mayan League/USA, the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI), and the NIWRC to sponsor an event, Ending Violence Against Indigenous Women as a Step Towards Empowerment, on March 15. The panelists addressed indigenous women’s empowerment, the grassroots movement for safety for indigenous women, and their human right to be free of violence and discrimination.

Nicole Matthews, Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition, spoke about research her organization had conducted regarding trafficking of indigenous women. Her presentation drew attention to the need for reliable data on the violence to develop effective programs and policy solutions.

Juanita Cabrera Lopez, Executive Director of the International Mayan League/USA, discussed the history of violence against indigenous women in Guatemala, and legislation that has been developed by indigenous women to extend state recognition and economic support to Maya midwives— traditional healers who often serve as primary responders to violence and sexual assault.

Tami Truett Jerue, Executive Director, AKNWRC, addressed the challenges indigenous women face in Alaska, and the failure of state and federal law enforcement to respond to violence against indigenous women, and called for law reforms that would allow Alaska Native villages to better respond to violence in their communities.

“This problem is based on policies of colonization and laws that create barriers to the implementation of local solutions,” she said. “We are demanding more resources, but we also need state and federal policy changes to create a legal framework that will let Alaska Native villages implement the changes that we need.”

Two other events brought much-needed attention to the issue. On March 14, Cherrah Giles, Chairwoman of the NIWRC’s Board of Directors participated in a side event sponsored by Canada and the United States. “In the United States, 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women have been assaulted and, on some reservations, these women are facing murder rates 10 times the national average,” Ms. Giles explained. On March 18, Terri Henry, Chair of the Indian Law Resource Center’s Board of Directors, Secretary of State of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Co-Chair of the NCAI Force on Violence Against Women, and member of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (PFII), addressed a side event sponsored by the PFII and the International Indigenous Women’s Forum. Ms. Giles and Ms. Henry both spoke about the legal barriers to safety embedded in U.S. law, the grassroots movement of indigenous women to change these harmful laws, and shared recommendations for UN actions to address this issue.

As a result of our efforts and the work of many other indigenous women and allies, the Commission, in its agreed conclusions for the session, acknowledged that violence against women and girls is an obstacle to gender equality, noted“the importance of the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples for indigenous women and girls,” and urged states to take measures aimed at “addressing the multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and barriers . . . including violence” that indigenous women face. Additional information on the Commission’s 61st session, including copies of statements, the parallel event program, and the Commission’s agreed conclusions, is available at http://indianlaw.org/safewomen/CSW61. 

Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (April 24-May 5)

The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, an advisory body to the UN Economic and Social Council, held its annual session focused on the special theme “Tenth Anniversary of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples: measures taken to implement the Declaration,” where the issue of violence against indigenous women was featured heavily and remains a key priority. On April 24, Cherrah Giles participated in a side event sponsored by the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, Eliminating Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls Through Empowerment. Ms. Giles discussed the extreme rates of violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women in the United States, the federal laws and policies that are at the root of this crisis, and the successful work at the grassroots level to address this issue and empower tribal governments. Her fellow panelists included indigenous representatives and state officials from the three countries who also shared information, best practices, and ideas about combating violence.

Participation of Indigenous Peoples’ Representative Institutions at the UN (April 26 and May 3)

In the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples Outcome Document, the General Assembly committed to consider ways to enable the participation of indigenous peoples’ representatives and institutions(governments)at the United Nations. Following two years of discussions and consultations with indigenous peoples and member states, the first draft of a resolution that would provide indigenous governments with the ability to attend and participate in many important meetings at the UN has now been released. This is an important development that would greatly enhance the ability of our tribal governments to advocate directly for indigenous rights, including indigenous women’s rights, at the UN. Negotiations among member states will continue over the summer. A final resolution is expected in September. The draft resolution and further information about this process is available at: https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/participation-of-indigenous-peoples-at-the-un….

Upcoming Events

The Human Rights Council will hold its 35th session in Geneva from June 6-23. The Council will hold its annual full-day discussion on women’s rights during this session. The Council’s program of work and relevant materials will be published here as they become available: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session35/ Pages/35RegularSession.aspx. The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples will hold its 10th session in Geneva from July 10-14, 2017. More details are available here: http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/IPeoples/EMRIP/Pages/Session10.aspx.