Hello People,
Today, I waned to talk about the issues I heard via a webinar I joined at the end of September 2021. The event was hosted by the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center.
Native women who survived domestic violence discussed their experiences.
The reason I picked this subject to share with you here is although this is not related to MMIW directly, I believe the causes of MMIW are rooted in what I learned through the webinar.
According to the statistics provided by National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center,
“There are only 58 Native domestic violence shelters nationwide for 574 federal recognized Indian Tribes.” Native Women who need to flee their homes due to domestic violence are more likely end up living on the streets and/or working sex related industries for survival.
If these women had proper shelter and support they could save themselves and their children from such danger. This is why we need your help to support The Family Violence Prevention and Service Improvement Act of 2021. (FVPSA)
Here is a description of the bill from NIWRC.org. Please use this link to tell your Representative to pass FVPSA. ( https://niwrc.quorum.us/campaign/35357/)
“The Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA) advanced out of committee in the House and Senate.
On July 15, the House Committee on Education and Labor marked up H.R. 2119, the Family Violence Prevention and Services Improvement Act of 2021 (FVPSA). The bill advanced out of Committee by a vote of 26-20.
On July 21, the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions also marked up S. 1275. The bill advanced out of Committee by voice vote.
This FVPSA reauthorization bill provides critical support for shelters, coalitions, training and technical assistance centers, children’s services, emergency response hotlines, and prevention initiatives. The FVPSA is also the only federal grant program solely dedicated to domestic violence shelter and supportive services and is the primary source of funding for these services for Indian Tribes.
The FVPSA would expand grant programs and make many needed improvements so that more survivors have access to support and safety, including:
- Increasing overall authorizations above $185 million to ensure greater access to shelter and supportive services;
- Adjustment of the funding distribution formula to increase the amount that Tribes receive from 10% to 12.5%;
- Dedicated authorization for Tribal coalitions to provide culturally appropriate technical assistance to Tribes;
- Dedicated authorization for a national Indian domestic violence hotline; and Dedicated authorizations for an Alaska Tribal Resource Center on Domestic Violence to reduce disparities facing Native victims.
Until next time.