Native American/Alaska Native Survivors
Sexual violence against Native American populations occurs at higher rates for all genders. Native American and Alaska Native individuals are much more likely to experience all types of violence.
Indigenous women face some of the highest rates of violence in the United States. 56% have experienced sexual violence and 56% have also faced domestic abuse. Indigenous men are 1.3x more likely than white men to experience forms of intimate violence, with 73% of indigenous men reporting psychological aggression coming from an intimate partner.
More than 90 percent of violence against Native Populations is at the hands of non-Native people. Despite this statistic, a 1978 court decision prevents tribal governments from prosecuting non-tribal members who assault tribal members, unless they are a domestic partner. Native American reservations function as a separate governmental entity. When a tribal member is assaulted by a non-tribal member, the case is sent to the federal government, which, according to a 2010 report, gets rejected by federal prosecutors more than ⅔ of the time. (CPI)
Historical and modern-day mistreatment of Native Americans has led to higher rates of many health concerns. From 1860-1978, over 350 boarding schools were federally funded to serve indigenous children. However, the intent of these schools was not to educate these children, but strip them of their culture. Sexual abuse at boarding schools, along with other forms of abuse and neglect were rampant. In 1955, the United States founded the Indian Health Service to provide medical care to Indigenous people. During the 1960’s through the 1970’s, 24-42% of women who received their services were forcibly sterilized without their consent. Forced sterilization is not only a form of sexual violence, but it is also a form of genocide based on the pseudoscience of eugenics.
Racism and colonialism are major factors in violence against Native populations, and reservations being in rural areas adds to the lack of access to services that are more likely to exist in larger communities. Despite being in great need of services, Indigenous people have the least access to them. Many reservations do not have a SANE Nurse, or a nurse who performs the Forensic Exam on a survivor after assault and provides them with any other necessary care. For many indigenous people who live in rural areas, the closest place to get a forensic exam is hours away, sometimes requiring a plane ride. Due to the atrocities that happened to the women who sought the care of the Indian Health Services, many don’t feel comfortable receiving these exams, especially if they need to leave the reservation to do so.
Sources and more resources:
https://www.ojp.gov/pdffiles1/nij/249822.pdf