About the report
MMIWG: We Demand More calls for government agencies to do better for missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. For years, law enforcement and government agencies have caused our community harm in the form of structural and institutional racism, among other things.
In 2018, the Washington State Patrol was mandated by Substitute House Bill 2951 to conduct a study about the MMIWG crisis including holding meetings with people and organizations within Indian Country, analyzing the data that came out of those meetings, and recommending ways the MMIWG crisis can best be addressed. Washington State Patrol did not follow that mandate and released a study in June 2019 that lacked any meaningful information or analysis and did not include recommendations on how to address MMIWG in Washington State.
Urban Indian Health Institute took it upon themselves to do the study in accordance with the mandate. We conducted a research study using quantitative and qualitative analysis of information from the Washington State Patrol report and offered community-driven recommendations on how to best address MMIWG. We decided to do this report the right way because Washington State Patrol’s report is nothing but harmful for our community. The lack of meaningful and scientific analysis of the data misleads readers about the full scope of the MMIWG crisis. Their report was meant to be a resource for decision-makers, funders, and our community. It’s unacceptable, so we are correcting it because it is our responsibility to ensure our community is safe and healthy.
Other states have passed legislation to address the MMIWG crisis, and it is our fear that they will use Washington State Patrol’s report as an example. We can’t allow that to happen. Our report is the resource our community needs and deserves, and it is the report that Washington State Patrol should have done. We are watching.
What you can do
Please share UIHI’s report, MMIWG: We Demand More, with your community. If you live in one of the nine states where legislation to address the MMIWG crisis has been passed, it’s important to let the decision-makers in your state know that we are not going to allow them to do mediocre work that does nothing to address the crisis and that they should not look to the Washington State Patrol’s report as an example. Customize the posts below to fit your state and share on your social media.
States where legislation has been passed:
- Arizona
- Minnesota
- Montana
- North Dakota
- Nebraska
- New Mexico
- Oregon
- South Dakota
- Washington
Sample Social Media Posts
The newly released MMIWG: We Demand More report is a model for how our state should be listening to our Native community and identifying ways to increase reporting on missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. We will not tolerate mediocre work. Our women and girls deserve more. https://uihi.org/wedemandmore
Read the latest report from @UrbanIndianHealthInstitute responding to Washington State Patrol’s study on the MMIWG crisis. We must contact our legislators and let them know that we are expecting more from them for [INSERT YOUR STATE/COUNTY/REGION]. We can’t let them follow in the footsteps of the Washington State Patrol. https://usa.gov/elected-officials
We demand more. [STATE NAME] passed a bill to address #MMIWG and we’re going to make sure they do the work correctly. We can’t let our state make the same mistakes Washington did. Read @TheUIHI report in response to WSP’s study. https://uihi.org/wedemandmore #DoBetter #NativeTwitter
We demand more from [INSERT STATE]. They passed legislation to address the #MMIWG crisis, and we will hold them accountable to make sure they do the work correctly. We can’t let our state make the same mistakes Washington did in their attempt to address the MMIWG crisis. The new report released by @UrbanIndianHealthInstitute called MMIWG: We Demand More is a model for how our state should listen to and learn from our community. #DecolonizeData #WeDemandMore
Recommended Hashtags
- #MMIWG
- #DecolonizeData
- #WeDemandMore
- #WeRwatching
Graphics for social media
Click a link below to view and save the full-size image. Download a ZIP with all images here.
Links to MMIWG and Our Bodies, Our Stories reports
Our Bodies, Our Stories: Sexual Violence Among Native Women in Seattle, WA
A report detailing the alarming statistics surrounding sexual violence against predominantly low-income or homeless Native women in Seattle, Washington.
uihi.org/resources/our-bodies-our-stories/
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women & Girls: A snapshot of data from 71 urban cities in the United States
A report detailing the missing and murdered indigenous women & girls (MMIWG) crisis in urban areas across the United States. The report not only identified a high number of cases in urban areas, and found undocumented cases, but it highlights the issues around obtaining MMIWG data and information regarding across the country.
uihi.org/resources/missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-girls/
Project
Our Bodies, Our Stories
Our work to advocate and provide data to protect Native women.
