Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls: A Snapshot of Data from 71 Urban Cities in the United States.
Authors: Abigail Echo-Hawk, Annita Lucchesi
Publication Year: 2019
Last Updated: 2019-10-02 15:42:45
Journal: Urban Indian Health Institute
Keywords: racial misclassifcation,missing persons databases,NamUs, Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
Short Abstract:
The majority of American Indian and Alaska Native people now live in urban communities due to a variety of reasons for migration, from forced relocation due to 1950s federal relocation and termination policies, to current barriers to obtaining quality educational, employment, and housing opportunities on tribal lands. Because of this, urban American Indian and Alaska Native people experience MMIWG-related violence in two ways—through losses experienced by extended family and community ties on reservations, in villages, and in urban communities themselves. Though there are critical issues regarding jurisdiction of MMIWG cases on reservation and village lands, lack of prosecution, lack of proper data collection, prejudice, and institutional racism are factors that also occur in urban areas.
In this study, UIHI sought to demonstrate the ways in which these issues also impact urban MMIWG cases, highlighting the results of a deeply fawed institutional system rooted in colonial relationships that marginalize and disenfranchise people of color and remains complicit in violence targeting American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. UIHI identifed 506 unique cases of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls across the 71 selected cities—128 (25%) were missing persons cases, 280 (56%) were murder cases, and 98 (19%) had an unknown status.
- Approximately 75% of the cases UIHI identifed had no tribal afliation listed.
- Sixty-six out of 506 MMIWG cases that UIHI identifed were tied to domestic and sexual violence.
- The youngest victim was a baby less than one year old.
- The oldest victim was an elder who was 83 years old.
The states with the highest number of cases are as follows: New Mexico (78), Washington (71), Arizona (54), Alaska (52), Montana (41), California (40), Nebraska (33), Utah (24), Minnesota (20), and Oklahoma (18).
Abstract:
In this study, UIHI sought to demonstrate the ways in which these issues also impact urban MMIWG cases, highlighting the results of a deeply fawed institutional system rooted in colonial relationships that marginalize and disenfranchise people of color and remains complicit in violence targeting American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. UIHI identifed 506 unique cases of missing and murdered American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls across the 71 selected cities—128 (25%) were missing persons cases, 280 (56%) were murder cases, and 98 (19%) had an unknown status.
- Approximately 75% of the cases UIHI identifed had no tribal afliation listed.
- Sixty-six out of 506 MMIWG cases that UIHI identifed were tied to domestic and sexual violence.
- The youngest victim was a baby less than one year old.
- The oldest victim was an elder who was 83 years old.
The states with the highest number of cases are as follows: New Mexico (78), Washington (71), Arizona (54), Alaska (52), Montana (41), California (40), Nebraska (33), Utah (24), Minnesota (20), and Oklahoma (18).
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