Content area
Full Text
Udall-championed measures included in House-passed VAWA legislation would address the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis, make Tribal communities safer
Senate Indian Affairs Committee News Release
U.S. Senate Documents
WASHINGTON - Ahead of the May 5th Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Day of Awareness, U.S. Senator Tom Udall (D-N.M.) called on Senate Republicans to take action to curb the alarming epidemic of violence against women in Indian Country by reauthorizing the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) and ensuring that it includes key Tribal provisions to protect Native women and communities. Udall also cosponsored a resolution designating May 5th as a National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls, which passed the Senate this week. Available data from the Department of Justice indicates there are more than 5,000 cases of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and that 55 percent of Native women have experienced domestic violence.
Last month, the House of Representatives passed legislation to reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), which expired in February. The legislation includes important provisions that would build on the landmark Tribal jurisdiction provisions of the 2013 reauthorization, including measures based on Udall's bipartisan bill, the Native Youth and Tribal Officer Protection Act (NYTOPA), and Senator Tina Smith's (D-Minn.) bipartisan bill, the Justice for Native...