Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, 2 Spirits and LGBTQQIA+

We, as a society, are failing. We are living on stolen land. We are doing NOTHING to stop the injustices facing Indigenous communities. We HAVE to do better!

#NOMORESTOLENSISTERS

Resources

Of 5,712 cases of murdered and missing Indigenous Peoples, only 116 of those cases where included in the US Department of Justice’s official missing persons’ lists.

The root causes of the MMIW injustice include colonization and historical trauma, racism, and sexual objectifcation of Indigenous women and girls.

  • Indigenous women have an 85% higher chance of going missing, being murdered or being a victim of violence than they do of graduating high school, having children or getting married.

  • In 2016 there were 5,712 reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls in the United States, but only 116 cases were entered into the federal database of missing persons.

  • Matoaka, known historically as Pocahontas, was kidnapped, trafficked, and subsequently raped by colonizers. She is the first documented MMIW case. Native women face murder and violence at rates that are more than 10 times the national average.

  • Indigenous Women (girls +) murdered 10x higher than all other ethnicities.

  • Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death for Indigenous Women (Centers for Disease Control).

  • More than 4 out of 5 Indigenous Women have experienced violence (84.3%) (National Institute of Justice Report).

  • More than half Indigenous Women experience sexual violence (56.1%).

  • More than half Indigenous Women have been physically abused by their intimate partners (55.5 percent).

  • Almost half of Indigenous Women have been stalked in their lifetime (48.8 percent).

  • Indigenous Women are 1.7 times more likely than Anglo-American women to experience violence. 

  • Indigenous Women are 2xs more likely to be raped than Anglo-American white women. 

  • Murder rate of Indigenous Women is 3xs higher than Anglo-American women. 

“Since setting foot on our shorestep, colonizers have attempted to assimilate or erase Indigenous people, lands and culture, while "holidays" like Halloween and Thanksgiving fetishize and romanticize them. The fact is, statistics only tell a fraction of the story. Statistics also dehumanize and disconnect us from the victims: we need to know their names, see their faces, and honor their lives and the love of their families.”

— Seeding Sovereignty

Works cited

  • https://www.wpr.org/were-forgotten-new-report-draws-long-overdue-attention-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-girls

  • “Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men,” National Institute of Justice, 2016

  • https://juustwa.org/program-areas/issues/first-american-indian-nations/our-work/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-girls/

  • https://www.nativewomenswilderness.org/mmiw

  • https://www.uihi.org/resources/mmiwg-we-demand-more-partner-toolkit/