One in Three

By Ronda Bernstein on 10/12/2010 @ 02:00 PM

1 in 3. That’s a 33% likelihood. A 33% likelihood that you have been the victim of domestic violence. A 33% likelihood that you have been the victim of domestic violence, if you are a Native woman living on a reservation within the US.

This would be a startling statistic for women anywhere but it’s even more so when you learn where it is occuring. We aren’t talking about violence against women in other countries. This is the reality for hundreds of thousands of women on federal reservations in the US. Thanks to several developments, it is a statistic that the US Government is now actively trying to lower.

On September 29, 2010 the Sheila Wellstone Institute presented the Sheila Wellstone Award at an event observing October as Domestic Violence Awareness Month. Sheila Wellstone was a champion from Minnesota passionate about ending violence against women and children. The annual award recognizes individual activists, advocates and elected officials who share Ms. Wellstone’s dedication to safe and healthy homes and communities.

This year’s recipient, Sarah Deer (seen above to the right of Senator Franken), works with American Indian victims and is a committed activist in the movement to end violence against Native women. When accepting her award, she spoke about the work Amnesty International is doing for Native women, both American Indian and Alaskan Native. The organization has been diligent about bringing to light the US government’s inattention in regards to Native women and instrumental in getting the Tribal Law and Order Act (TLOA) passed. The TLOA provides resources to tribes, requires accountability of the federal government and says to victims that the federal government will be there to help them.

Nicole Matthews from the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition spoke of a Tribal hearing – a hearing between the Federal government and Native tribal leaders – she once attended. She recalls being fascinated that the three tribal leaders present, though they varied in age, background, and tribal experiences, all asked for the same thing, more resources to help deal with acts of violence against women. They all knew the level of violence occurring against women within their reservations and felt helpless to stop it due to lack of jurisdiction, lack of funding, and a lack of training. Now with the help of the TLOA, they can bring the statistic down to 1 in 0.

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