Understanding the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit Crisis

Indigenous people around the world face unique challenges. The transnational crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls and Two-Spirit (MMIWG2S) is an example of the extreme vulnerability that Indigenous communities experience. To understand this crisis, it is important to not stop at the statistics, but to consider the historical background and the intersectional nature of the problem in order to learn how to make a difference.

Key facts:

Murder is the third-leading cause of death among American Indian/Alaska Native women (U.S. Department of Justice).
Indigenous women and girls experience a murder rate 10x higher than all other ethnicities (U.S. Department of Justice).
1 in 3 Native women report having been sexually assaulted in her lifetime, and these assaults are often perpetrated by non-Native assailants in Native land (U.S. Department of Justice).

The information above paints a disturbing picture, which is only complicated when we highlight all of these are likely to be undercounts (Native Women’s Wilderness). A 2016 study across 71 cities found 5,712 cases of MMIWG2S had been reported but the missing persons database of the U.S. Department of Justice only logged 116 of these cases (Urban Indian Health Institute).

“MMIW” by Tashina Pitka, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe

Historical Background

Indigenous people have faced displacement and violence at the hands of colonial governments for hundreds of years. In the U.S., a recent example is the 1956 Indian Relocation Act. Following efforts to terminate the tribal status of numerous groups and cut off previous assistance to tribal citizens, the Indian Relocation Act offered financial incentives for Native people to migrate to urban areas (Lakota Times). This law sought to assimilate Indigenous people to life outside of the reservations, and it did not deliver on its promise of stable jobs and safety leading to high rates of poverty and homelessness for Natives living in urban areas (Native Philanthropy). It is estimated that between 1950 and 1968, more than 200,000 people of all tribes moved to cities.

Today 71% of Native people in the U.S. live in urban areas, but the lack of Indigenous-centered resources in cities as well as their isolation from their culture and communities puts them at a higher risk of violence. Institutional racism manifests in a lack of clear statistics to understand the magnitude of the crisis and create the appropriate services and resources to support Native people.

MMIWG2S Is a Complex Issue

The crisis of MMIWG2S cannot be understood in isolation. Some examples that illustrate the complexity of this issue are the gender, land, and mental health dimensions to this crisis.

While Native relatives of all genders are vulnerable to violence — in fact, 82% of Indigenous men are victims of violence in their lifetime (Native Hope) — it is important to recognize that women, girls, and Two-Spirit people face higher risks. Historically, Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQ+ people have been specifically targeted and robbed of their traditional roles and rights. Approximately 85% of Two-Spirit people experience violence in their lifetime (Balsam et al). Understanding that gender-based violence and anti-2SLGBTQ+ hate inherently violate Indigenous values is imperative for combating the MMIWG2S crisis.

It is also key to highlight the intersection between gender and land justice. One way in which we can see this connection is by looking at extractive projects on recognized tribal lands, such as the Dakota Access Pipeline. In addition to environmental degradation, these projects bring another risk: a surge in non-Native workers on/near Indigenous land. Following the oil boom, Black and Native people faced 2.5 times more risk than the white population of violent victimization by strangers in the region as a result, and women experienced a 54% increase in sexual and gender-based violence (First Peoples Worldwide).

These maps show federally tribal land areas and how pipelines run through these lands.

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The trauma that accompanies the loss of relatives to violence as well as the threat to one’s safety is an incredibly important aspect of the current mental health crisis in Native communities. Indigenous young people are at a higher risk for suicide and depression than their white counterparts. Although race-and-gender-disaggregated data are sparse, those that are available (see graphs on this page) show that Native American girls are increasingly at higher risk for poor mental health than are both their Native male and white female same-age peers.

Suicide risk, Native 6-8 graders, New Mexico and North Dakota, 2021. Source: 2021 YRBSS.

Combatting the Crisis

Due to the organizing of Indigenous communities and Native-led organizations, the MMIWG2S crisis is now recognized worldwide. Some landmark policies introduced in the U.S. (Native Women’s Wilderness) have been:

On May 5, 2019 the White House officially designated May 5 as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls.
Executive Order 13898 (also known as Operation Lady Justice) in 2019 created a task force for MMIWG2S that will take on responsibilities such as data collection, policies, establishing cold-case teams, and improving investigative responses.
Savanna’s Act became law in 2020. This law requires the Department of Justice to review, revise and develop policies and protocols to address MMIWG2S cases.
In 2021, Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland (Laguna Pueblo) announced the formation of the Missing and Murdered Unit that will focus on analyzing and solving MMIWG2S cases.
The VAWA Reauthorization Act of 2022 expanded special Tribal criminal jurisdiction to cover non-Native perpetrators of sexual assault, child abuse, stalking, sex trafficking, and assaults on Tribal law enforcement officers on Tribal lands (White House)

However, there is still a lot of work to be done. One of the best ways to combat the MMIWG2S crisis is to partner with Native-led organizations that are working with women, girls and Two-Spirit people in their communities.

At the Indigenous Justice Circle, the MMIWG2S crisis is one of our priorities. Through the Indigenous Adolescent Girls’ Empowerment Network (IMAGEN), we help Native communities make female intergenerational mentorship more reliably and systematically available, thus increasing access among the most marginalized and least connected. To increase their safety and sense of support, we support the establishment and sustainability of Girl Societies where girls are invited to attend a weekly talking circle in a safe neighborhood space. If a girl is missing, the group facilitators can check on her. Our partners work to strengthen protective socio-cultural systems for Native girls through intergenerational mentoring and the reclamation of matrilineal traditions. In many cases, they incorporate self-defense lessons into their curricula.

Ultimately, the goal of Native Girl Societies is to fortify safety networks for Indigenous girls, women, and 2SLGBTQ+ people by establishing connections among communities. This is the first step towards combatting the MMIWG2S crisis.