Post by lace on Oct 1, 2006 23:10:50 GMT -5
[glow=red,2,300]Anti-violence advocates shout down silence [/glow]
By JODI RAVE
Missoulian
MISSOULA - The report, when it was released in 1999, could have been a call to action:
American Indian women are raped, abused, stalked and murdered more than any other group in the country.
It wasn't.
"When those statistics came out, there was no cry. There was no outrage," said Karen Artichoker, director of Sacred Circle, a crisis center in Rapid City, S.D. But in the years since the Bureau of Justice report was released, longtime activists like Artichoker redirected their efforts and took their cause to the nation's leaders. And they've successfully blazed a trail on behalf of American Indian women.
Tribal leaders, through the National Congress of American Indians, have since joined with more than 30 tribal domestic-violence coalitions across Indian Country.
Together, they have spurred Congress to action.
The result: In January, President Bush reauthorized the 2005 Violence Against Women Act, which contained an important and unprecedented provision specifically aimed at making life safer for indigenous women.
The Violence Against Women Act's Safety for Indian Women provision could dramatically improve the way the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women provides services to tribes around the country.
Justice Department officials met Sept. 19 with tribal leaders and anti-domestic-violence coalitions in Minnesota for a first-ever government-to-government consultation to discuss safety for American Indian women.
"The turnout from Indian Country was so incredible," said Jacquelyn Johnson, NCAI executive director. "Every seat was filled. Every region was represented."
And all voices were heard.
"It was so powerful," said Juana Majel, a Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians tribal leader from California and chair of the NCAI domestic violence task force.
"There are moments in time in Indian history and you're glad you were a witness. It was DOJ's first time out the door and it seemed like it was going to be more a 'talking-to,' but DOJ said, 'No, this is your time.' "
As the first year of the new Safety for Indian Women program begins, discussion centered on some of the act's most profound provisions, including federal imprisonment for habitual offenders, increased funding for tribes and organizations battling domestic violence, a revamped grant-application process, domestic-violence research and creation of an Indian Country sex-offender registry.
The registry will make it easier to track habitual offenders, who will now be subject to stiffer penalties.
For example, a person of any race who commits a third offense against an American Indian woman - including crimes of domestic and dating violence, stalking and sexual assault - will be tried in federal court.
Previously, a tribe could give only a one-year sentence. A third-time crime is now punishable by five to 10 years in prison.
"The third offense becomes a federal offense," said Majel. "That's huge. That's the law now."
In the past, tribes did what they could with little money to bring protection and healing to women in their communities.
"Many tribes are so impoverished that it's nearly impossible to develop this full-spectrum response without the resources," said Sarah Deer, a Tribal Law and Policy Institute attorney in Minneapolis.
But Title IX of the Violence Against Women Act promises to infuse millions of dollars into organizations, including tribal programs providing domestic-violence services for American Indian women.
Majel is encouraged by the financial support provided by the act.
"What's so powerful about it, for the first time in legislative history, when we went to speak to our counterparts, our non-Native sisterhood out there, they realized our journey was such that we weren't getting fair representation in the programs," Majel said.
"They actually set aside money in their grants, 10 percent across the board, in support of us in adding the Indian title."
The act also provided an additional $2.5 million for research, a baseline study, and criminal tracking and registry systems.
It's still unclear how the registry will work, but one goal is to track serial offenders who travel among tribal nations.
"We are not required to have a government relationship with each other, but it would be wise of us to do so," said Majel.
The House of Representatives has so far failed to include the needed $2.5 million allocation in the 2007 appropriations bill. The Senate is still debating the president's budget as well.
"I'm dedicated and our office is dedicated, and so is our attorney general," said Diane Stuart, director of the Justice Department's Office of Violence Against Women. "Specifically, he and I have spoken about violence against Indian women, and we'll do all we can to further their safety."
Since Stuart announced that she will retire in October, tribal leaders have voiced their concern about moving forward.
"The message overall was that tribes are engaged and this is an important issue to our communities," Johnson said. "We believe there needs to be ongoing dialogue. This can't be a one-time consultation."
It's hoped that another touted section of Title IX the creation of a deputy director of tribal affairs in the Office of Violence Against Women will allow for a seamless transition. The job is yet unfilled but is being advertised.
"Right now there's not a consistent person in the office that deals solely with tribal governments," Deer said.
Prior to the new provision, tribes often avoided the Violence Against Women Office's complicated grant process. Now four staff members will work specifically with tribes requesting grants.
Artichoker, who also served on the National Congress of American Indians domestic-violence task force, looks forward to the coming changes.
And she's ready to embrace the day when American Indian communities restore relationship balance in the home. The traditional knowledge of family relationships can be recovered, she said.
Said Deer: "People in Indian Country who work on these issues really talk about making social change."
"And not just responding to each case of violence, but rather working on a large scale to change public opinion and women's opinions about what abuse is and how it's infiltrated into our culture."
Reporter Jodi Rave covers American Indian issues. She can be reached at 800-366-7186 or jodi.rave@lee.net.
Editor's note: Reporter Jodi Rave has spent much of the year reporting on the reasons for and solutions to the disproportionate rate of domestic violence against American Indian women. This is the latest in a series of occasional stories.
www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/10/01/news/state/45-silence.txt
By JODI RAVE
Missoulian
MISSOULA - The report, when it was released in 1999, could have been a call to action:
American Indian women are raped, abused, stalked and murdered more than any other group in the country.
It wasn't.
"When those statistics came out, there was no cry. There was no outrage," said Karen Artichoker, director of Sacred Circle, a crisis center in Rapid City, S.D. But in the years since the Bureau of Justice report was released, longtime activists like Artichoker redirected their efforts and took their cause to the nation's leaders. And they've successfully blazed a trail on behalf of American Indian women.
Tribal leaders, through the National Congress of American Indians, have since joined with more than 30 tribal domestic-violence coalitions across Indian Country.
Together, they have spurred Congress to action.
The result: In January, President Bush reauthorized the 2005 Violence Against Women Act, which contained an important and unprecedented provision specifically aimed at making life safer for indigenous women.
The Violence Against Women Act's Safety for Indian Women provision could dramatically improve the way the Justice Department's Office on Violence Against Women provides services to tribes around the country.
Justice Department officials met Sept. 19 with tribal leaders and anti-domestic-violence coalitions in Minnesota for a first-ever government-to-government consultation to discuss safety for American Indian women.
"The turnout from Indian Country was so incredible," said Jacquelyn Johnson, NCAI executive director. "Every seat was filled. Every region was represented."
And all voices were heard.
"It was so powerful," said Juana Majel, a Pauma Band of Luiseno Mission Indians tribal leader from California and chair of the NCAI domestic violence task force.
"There are moments in time in Indian history and you're glad you were a witness. It was DOJ's first time out the door and it seemed like it was going to be more a 'talking-to,' but DOJ said, 'No, this is your time.' "
As the first year of the new Safety for Indian Women program begins, discussion centered on some of the act's most profound provisions, including federal imprisonment for habitual offenders, increased funding for tribes and organizations battling domestic violence, a revamped grant-application process, domestic-violence research and creation of an Indian Country sex-offender registry.
The registry will make it easier to track habitual offenders, who will now be subject to stiffer penalties.
For example, a person of any race who commits a third offense against an American Indian woman - including crimes of domestic and dating violence, stalking and sexual assault - will be tried in federal court.
Previously, a tribe could give only a one-year sentence. A third-time crime is now punishable by five to 10 years in prison.
"The third offense becomes a federal offense," said Majel. "That's huge. That's the law now."
In the past, tribes did what they could with little money to bring protection and healing to women in their communities.
"Many tribes are so impoverished that it's nearly impossible to develop this full-spectrum response without the resources," said Sarah Deer, a Tribal Law and Policy Institute attorney in Minneapolis.
But Title IX of the Violence Against Women Act promises to infuse millions of dollars into organizations, including tribal programs providing domestic-violence services for American Indian women.
Majel is encouraged by the financial support provided by the act.
"What's so powerful about it, for the first time in legislative history, when we went to speak to our counterparts, our non-Native sisterhood out there, they realized our journey was such that we weren't getting fair representation in the programs," Majel said.
"They actually set aside money in their grants, 10 percent across the board, in support of us in adding the Indian title."
The act also provided an additional $2.5 million for research, a baseline study, and criminal tracking and registry systems.
It's still unclear how the registry will work, but one goal is to track serial offenders who travel among tribal nations.
"We are not required to have a government relationship with each other, but it would be wise of us to do so," said Majel.
The House of Representatives has so far failed to include the needed $2.5 million allocation in the 2007 appropriations bill. The Senate is still debating the president's budget as well.
"I'm dedicated and our office is dedicated, and so is our attorney general," said Diane Stuart, director of the Justice Department's Office of Violence Against Women. "Specifically, he and I have spoken about violence against Indian women, and we'll do all we can to further their safety."
Since Stuart announced that she will retire in October, tribal leaders have voiced their concern about moving forward.
"The message overall was that tribes are engaged and this is an important issue to our communities," Johnson said. "We believe there needs to be ongoing dialogue. This can't be a one-time consultation."
It's hoped that another touted section of Title IX the creation of a deputy director of tribal affairs in the Office of Violence Against Women will allow for a seamless transition. The job is yet unfilled but is being advertised.
"Right now there's not a consistent person in the office that deals solely with tribal governments," Deer said.
Prior to the new provision, tribes often avoided the Violence Against Women Office's complicated grant process. Now four staff members will work specifically with tribes requesting grants.
Artichoker, who also served on the National Congress of American Indians domestic-violence task force, looks forward to the coming changes.
And she's ready to embrace the day when American Indian communities restore relationship balance in the home. The traditional knowledge of family relationships can be recovered, she said.
Said Deer: "People in Indian Country who work on these issues really talk about making social change."
"And not just responding to each case of violence, but rather working on a large scale to change public opinion and women's opinions about what abuse is and how it's infiltrated into our culture."
Reporter Jodi Rave covers American Indian issues. She can be reached at 800-366-7186 or jodi.rave@lee.net.
Editor's note: Reporter Jodi Rave has spent much of the year reporting on the reasons for and solutions to the disproportionate rate of domestic violence against American Indian women. This is the latest in a series of occasional stories.
www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2006/10/01/news/state/45-silence.txt