Western South Dakota News

Washington, D.C. – On May 5, 2023, U.S. Representative Dusty Johnson (R-S.D.) and his colleagues introduced a House Resolution to designate May 5, 2023 as the “National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) and Girls.” Four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women experience violence in their lifetime. The Resolution seeks to bring attention to the disproportionate violence towards Native women and the lack of updated statistics on the national level, as well as the lack of resources to address the issue.

“American Indian women living on reservations face murder rates more than 10 times the national average and four in five American Indian woman will experience violence in their lifetime,” said Johnson. “These statistics are unacceptable. I’m proud to shine a light on these tragedies and will continue to advocate for vulnerable Native populations—this day of awareness is much needed.”

Page 35 of the South Dakota Attorney General’s 2021 Crime Report shows the disproportionate rates of crime against those of American Indian or Alaska Native descent. Despite making up less than 9% of the state population, 31.6% of murder victims are American Indian or Alaska Natives and 37.1% of kidnapping/abduction victims are American Indian or Alaska Natives.

In 2020, Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act, both supported by Johnson, were signed into law. These bills develop protocols to address cases for missing or murdered indigenous people and increase intergovernmental coordination between tribal, local, and state police to identify and combat violent crimes against Indians and on Indian lands.

Original source can be found here.