Native American women twice as likely to be raped


A new report from Amnesty International USA shows that Native American women are more than twice as likely to be raped as other U.S. women. The report also noted that at least 86 percent of the reported rapes of Native American women are by non-Native American men.
From The Associated Press:

The human rights group said Tuesday that at least one in three Indian women will be raped or sexually assaulted, compared with fewer than one in five U.S. women overall.
Confusion about whether state, federal or tribal police should respond means victims might not see a police officer or a nurse for hours or days, if at all. Even if a rape victim is taken to an Indian Health Service clinic, almost half lack staff trained to provide emergency services to victims of sexual violence, researchers said.
“What this amounts to is a travesty of justice for the tens of thousands of indigenous survivors of rape,” said Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA. He contended the U.S. government’s treatment of Indian rape victims is a violation of human rights.

Cox said they would be pressing Congress to fully fund VAWA for $683 million; tribes would get about 10 percent of different grant programs under the act.
Amnesty International USA has more info, including ways to take action and a slideshow.

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