Time to Stand with our Native Women of America
By Terrance H. Booth, Sr. (Nishwilgun) Tsimshian Nation
On February 22, 2013 the National Congress of American Indians, a national Native American Advocacy Organization, oldest Native Organization headquartered in Washington, DC vigil legislative watchdog for all of Indian Country, USA; opposed the US House of Representatives proposed legislation. This legislation lacks necessary protections for victims of violence and rolls back current law and disregards significant bipartisan efforts in the Senate on the tribal provisions. [1]
What is happening in the US House of Representatives on VAWA? “Another notable difference in the House bill relates to a provision targeting Native American victims. Under the Senate bill, tribal courts would gain new authority to prosecute non-Native American men who abuse Native American women on reservations. The House bill also grants that new authority -- a major change from the bill House Republicans put forward in the last Congress -- but adds a caveat that would allow those people to move their case to a federal court if they feel their constitutional rights aren't being upheld.
Congress failed to reauthorize VAWA last year for the first time since the law's inception in 1994, due in large part to House Republican opposition to the tribal provision. The fact that the House bill includes some kind of tribal provision reflects some movement by GOP leaders toward a bill that can pick up broader support. But even some House Republicans who have advocated for a compromise on the tribal piece say the bill needs to go further on that front.
"The House VAWA bill introduced today represents considerable progress in the right direction for protecting Native women," said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), one of two Native Americans in Congress. "However, the legislation still falls short in providing tribes the authority they need to secure their territory and protect their citizens. I intend to offer an amendment to address these shortcomings and I'm hopeful that the final bill will include stronger tribal protections."” [2]
All of Indian Country, USA should speak with a resounding voice to Congress to get this VAWA approved and have the proper language appropriate to all Natives. What is happening on Native issues regarding VAWA? Native American women are also underserved by the House Bill, which gives tribal courts authority to prosecute non-Native American men who abuse them on reservations, as the Senate Bill does — but adds a loophole that allows the accused to take their case to federal court if they feel their constitutional rights are being violated. More than a third of Native women have been raped, according to the Department of Justice, and 86 percent of Native American women who report sexual violence say they were attacked by non-Native men.
“We have serial rapists on the reservation — that are non-Indian — because they know they can get away with it,” Charon Asetoyer, executive director of the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center, told Salon last year.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) did not vote for VAWA last week and summed up his opposition by saying "the non-Indian doesn't get a fair trial."
VAWA has been reauthorized since with overwhelming bipartisan support every year since its inception in 1994 until House Republicans let it expire at the end of last year. [3]
We have a participatory federal government and this is how you can find your US Representative: http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ once you find your US Representative let them know you want VAWA passed and to include Native provisions in the bill. [4]
1. http://www.ncai.org/news/articles/2013/02/22/ncai-opposes-new-house-vawa...
2. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/22/vawa-2013_n_2742096.html
3. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/02/22/violence-against-women-act-_n_2...
4. http://www.house.gov/representatives/find/
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