Expressing support for the designation of May 5, 2024, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls".

house

Introduced on April 29, 2024 by Daniel Milton Newhouse

Cosponsors (37)

Legislation Details

Last updated 8/8/2024

Expresses support for designating May 5, 2024, as “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.”
Highlights that over 4 in 5 American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence in their lifetime, with significant portions being sexual violence and intimate partner violence.
Notes that homicide is a leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls under 44, with rates more than 10 times the national average.
Mentions that approximately 1,500 American Indian and Alaska Native missing persons are entered into the National Crime Information Center, and about 2,700 murder and nonnegligent homicide offenses have been reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting Program.
States that 64% of human trafficking victims in Hawai’i identified as at least part Native Hawaiian.
Acknowledges the inadequacy of current local, State, and Federal funding in Indian country to address the service needs of victims.
References the establishment of Operation Lady Justice in 2019, aimed at improving the response to the missing and murdered Indigenous women (MMIW) crisis.
Mentions the signing of Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act in 2020, which aimed to improve law enforcement protocols and combat violent crime within Tribal communities.
Notes the creation of a Missing and Murdered Unit within the DOI’s Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Justice Services in 2021 to investigate cases of missing and murdered Indigenous people.
Recognizes May 5 as a day of remembrance for missing and murdered Native women and girls, in honor of Hanna Harris, a Northern Cheyenne Tribe member who was murdered.
Calls for public commemoration of the lives of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls and solidarity with their families.
Recommends that the DOJ’s National Institute of Justice commission a new study to ensure up-to-date statistics on the crisis, noting that 8 years have passed since their last study.
Acknowledges that despite positive efforts, more work is needed to address the nationwide crisis.