Sexual Violence Among Native Women: A Public Health Emergency

A summary of Our Bodies, Our Stories, a report about the epidemic of sexual violence perpetrated against Native women living in Seattle, Washington.

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women are 2.5 times more likely to be raped or be victims of sexual assault compared to the rest of the country.[1] This public health emergency encompasses verbal, domestic, physical, and sexual violence that has lifelong effects on women and their extended community. A report released by the Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI), a division of Seattle Indian Health Board, titled Our Bodies, Our Stories: Sexual Violence Among Native Women in Seattle, WA, details results from a survey of 148 predominantly homeless or low-income urban AI/AN women In Seattle, WA and revealed much higher rates of sexual violence than was previously known.

The Data

  • 94% had been raped or coerced into sex in their lifetime.
  • 42% of victims of rape or coercion attempted suicide in their lifetime.
  • 53% lacked permanent housing.
  • 34% binge drank on a weekly or daily basis after they wereinitially attacked.
  • 8% of cases of a rape victim’s first attack ended in a conviction.
  • 86% reported being affected by historical trauma.
  • 49% misused alcohol on a monthly, weekly, or daily basis in the yearprior to the survey.

Policy Implications

  • There is a dire need for sustainable investments in research
    uncovering the depth of sexual violence experienced by AI/AN communities.
  • Findings from this report offer data that can be used when considering legislation that addresses violence against AI/AN women, including:
    • H.R. 6545: The Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2018 (VAWA);
    • H.R. 4485 and S.1942: Savanna’s Act;
    • S. 1986: Justice for Native Survivors of Sexual Violence Act;
    • S. 1953: Tribal Law and Order Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2017; and
    • H.R. 4608 and S.1870: Securing Urgent Resources Vital to Indian Victim Empowerment Act.

Recommendations

  • Support Senator Jon Tester’s (D-MT) call for Senate hearing on missing and murdered Native American women, many of whom were victims of sexual violence.
  • Increase investments in the 12 Indian Health Service (IHS) Tribal Epidemiology Centers to collect, analyze, and report on sexual violence throughout AI/AN communities.
  • Preserve and increase investments in the IHS Direct, Tribal 638, and Urban Indian Health Program (I/T/U) system of care, including in:
    • Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative to provide direct services, outreach and education services on intimate partner violence and sexual assault in AI/AN communities.
    • Direct health care and behavioral health services for AI/AN patients impacted by intimate partner violence and sexual assault.

References

  1. Amnesty International (2006). Maze of Injustice: The failure to protect Indigenous women from sexual violence in the USA. Amnesty International