Oklahoma Voices: Sexual Violence Against Indigenous Women (Jul 29, 2007)
It’s a sobering statistic: Native American and Alaska Native women are more than two and a half times as likely to be raped or sexually assaulted as non-native women, and one in three Native American women will be raped in their lifetimes. The majority of these crimes are committed by non-native men, and most of them are never prosecuted. According to an Amnesty International report released in April, indigenous survivors of sexual violence often encounter a myriad of legal and logistical hurdles when attempting to bring their perpetrators to justice: inadequate law enforcement in rural areas, under-funded tribal police departments and complex issues of sovereignty and prosecutorial jurisdiction.

Today we listen to a recent panel discussion on the issue held on the University of Oklahoma campus. “Maze of Injustice Community Forum: Working Together to End Sexual Violence Against Indigenous Women” is moderated by Amnesty International Field Organizer Adiyah Ali and includes comments from domestic violence survivor Jimmi Ross, Oklahoma Native American Domestic Violence Coalition / Spirits of Hope member Juskwa Burnett, Jennifer McLaughlin from the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault and Jim Cox of the Oklahoma Association of Chiefs of Police.

WEB EXTRAS:
Read and listen to reporter Laura Sullivan’s recent, two part series on this issue that aired on NPR’s All Things Considered

View a slide show of indigenous survivors of sexual violence and advocates

Watch a short video about the issue from Amnesty International

Read Amnesty International’s report

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