Commentary

Native women travel a violent road

By Suzanne Koepplinger

American Indian women are victims of sexual violence at a rate two to three times that of any other segment of the population. Amnesty International's 2007 report, "Maze of Injustice," calls sexual violence against American Indian women a human rights violation, and reports that Native women are raped three times more often than other women.

The Justice Department estimates that 70 percent of sexual assaults against Native women go unreported. Some research indicates that up to 87 percent of Native women suffer from intimate partner or sexual violence. The reasons for the disproportionately high rates of gender violence and underreporting can be linked both to a history of discrimination against Native people and the resulting multi-generation trauma.

In Minnesota, American Indians represent less than 2 percent of the total population, yet Wilder Research estimates that at least 11 percent of homeless people in the state are American Indians. A disproportionate number of the state's homeless youth -- perhaps as many as 28 percent -- are American Indian.

The links between homelessness and sexual assault are significant. Thirty-one percent of Native women report they are homeless due to physical/sexual abuse in the home, and up to 92 percent of homeless Native women report violence at some point in their lives. Yet this is not simply a story of numbers; this is a human tragedy unfolding every day, with very little acknowledgement that this is a problem that belongs to all of us.

The historic context is important. Years of failed government assimilation policies -- boarding schools, relocation policies, and involuntary sterilization -- continue to have an impact on American Indian families today. Nearly half of Minnesota's Native population lives in urban areas, with the vast majority residing in the Twin Cities.

The prevalence of sexual violence in the inner city among youth of all races is alarming, but for Native youth there is extra concern. Many run away from violence in the home, thinking they will find a better life on the streets. The reality is that a teen runaway in Minneapolis has an average of 36 hours before being approached by a pimp or "john" and offered shelter, food, money or something else of value in exchange for sex.

Some of these kids have already experienced sexual assault, or have left homes where domestic violence in a daily event. Many do not realize that any commercial sexual exchange is a federal crime against them under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000.

Young runaways may also find themselves drawn to gang life, in an effort to find a "home" or feeling of belonging. One common entry into gang life for girls as young as 12 is gang rape. Next they may be sold into sexual slavery, pimped out to 10-15 men a day. A young person's risky choice in trying to escape violence at home lead us to assume that she is a bad kid?

We may well ask where the parents are during all this, but if the parents are unable or unwilling to care for them, do we simply give up on these children?

Follow the presumed trajectory of a young person who comes from a violent home. She is likely to become involved in an abusive relationship, be more vulnerable to sex traffickers and gang members, or to have deep traumas that go unhealed. The trauma of sexual or domestic violence often leads to higher rates of mental instability and chemical dependency, as she tries to self-medicate to stop the pain. Using drugs and/or alcohol and being depressed and/or anxious increases the rates of vulnerability to predators, abuse and additional traumas.

The media have become more aware of the complex dynamics of gender violence over the past years, thanks to intense efforts by advocates and legislators to change laws and social messages. But we continue to ask why the woman got herself into the situation or why she doesn't just leave. This is the wrong question.

The real question must be asked of the perpetrators: Why do you feel it is acceptable to abuse someone else? Why do you believe that paying for a human being to be demeaned is somehow not slavery?

We must put the focus of these crimes on the perpetrators and demand that law enforcement and the judicial system hold them accountable to the full extent of the law.

Suzanne Koepplinger is executive director of the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center(www.miwrc.org) in Minneapolis.