Simply Acknowledging Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women is Not Enough—We Need Action

In the past decade, the longstanding problem of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) is finally beginning to get the attention and acknowledgement it deserves. A growing awareness of this historic violence and injustice in Minnesota —and across the United States and Canada —is pushing lawmakers, nonprofits, and officials in Indian Country to finally acknowledge that the problem has not only imperiled the lives and safety of generations of Indigenous women and girls, but also trapped them and their families in a repeating cycle of violence and poverty. But simply acknowledging decades of violence means nothing without action, and Minnesota has become a leading force in building national awareness and implementing lasting, intentional, systemic change.

Indigenous Women Far More Prone to Violence in Minnesota

In Minnesota, Indigenous women and girls are far more likely to experience violence, be murdered, or go missing compared to other demographic groups. Making up just 1% of the state’s population, 9% of all murdered girls and women between 20102019 in Minnesota were Native Indian. In 2019, the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center interviewed 105 Native women in prostitution and reported that 79% of the women had been sexually abused as children by an average of four perpetrators, 92% had been raped, 48% had been used by more than 200 sex buyers during their lifetimes, and 16% had been used by at least 900 sex buyers.

By Senator Mary Kunesh

The group’s report, Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota,1 also found that 84% had been physically assaulted in prostitution, 72% suffered traumatic brain injuries in prostitution, and 52% had PTSD at the time of the interview, a rate that is in the range of PTSD among combat veterans. Seventy-one percent had symptoms of dissociation. Recognizing the horrific data from this report and hearing the generational family stories of loved ones who had gone missing or were murdered with little to no investigation or media attention, Minnesota joined the movement in 2018 with the introduction of legislation,2 intent on creating the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’s Task Force. In 2019, the task force was established with unanimous bipartisan support of the Minnesota Legislature. Completed in 18 months, the panel’s report3 was presented to the legislature in 2021. That same year, the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives (MMIR) office4 was created—the first permanent, comprehensive office of its kind in the nation.

Centuries of Prejudice, Unfair Systemic and Legal Practices are Root Causes

Findings of the MMIW task force confirmed what Indigenous communities already knew—the root of the MMIWR pandemic is racialized and gender-based violence directly resulting from centuries of prejudice and unfair systemic and legal practices. It points directly to the governmental policies of forced removal5 of Native children and separation of families, creation of a predatory and racist child welfare system,6 and the use of police7 and surveillance agencies to criminalize and intimidate Native peoples. Decades of laws prohibited Native people from engaging in cultural and religious ceremony or speaking tribal languages while perpetuating the social-psychological myth8 that Indigenous women and girls exist to serve white men’s sexual needs. Not to be forgotten is the violence that follows the extraction industry which has directly contributed to the extreme rates of violence toward Native women in Minnesota9 and across North America. These root causes have led to increased systemic risk factors of violence and abuse among Indigenous women and girls, along with poverty and lack of housing, involvement in the child welfare system and criminal justice system, as victims of domestic violence, and involvement in prostitution and trafficking. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,10 AIAN (American Indian

Alaskan Native) people have the highest poverty rate (23%) and are among the lowest in labor force participation compared with any other major racial group in the United States. So, it is not surprising that the results are cycles of generational poverty with the poorest of health and economic outcomes. For the past 30 years, child poverty rates11 in AIAN communities have exceeded 40%. November 30 marks Native Women’s Equal Pay Day,12 designated to highlight the pay gap for Native women, underscored by a long history of racism, sexism, and pay discrimination that continues to devalue the contribution of Native women in the workforce. Native Women working full-time year-round, and part-time earn approximately 51 cents on the dollar compared to white, non-Hispanic men. This wage gap perpetuates the generational roadblocks that chain too many Native American women and families to poverty—a political outcome, not a personal choice, keeping them vulnerable to predators and those intent on harm. Nevertheless, stronger pay equity on its own is not sufficient to ensure longterm personal safety and economic mobility. The intersection of poverty and Minnesota’s missing and murdered Indigenous women cannot be ignored. When equal pay measures are enacted alongside other social safety net and work support policies—such as public safety supports, access to health care, paid family and medical leave, quality and affordable child and elder care, and an increased minimum wage — Native women would not only gain pay equity but would also build lasting economic and personal safety for their families.

Wide-Ranging Action Needed to Prevent Further Violence

Violence against Indigenous women is preventable and requires commitment across all systems and sectors of our communities—including the public (governmental), private (business/corporations), nonprofit, educational, military, religious, health care, and mainstream media sectors. Beyond that, health systems need to take this current awareness and movement to commit to addressing social determinants of health within healthcare delivery systems and policy. They need to develop programs, policies, and innovations to prevent and address MMIW and thereby improve the health of communities. While historic distrust of health providers, police, and governmental agencies has prevented many Native family members and survivors from seeking services at a domestic or sexual violence program, they might come into contact with various healthcare systems. Thus, it would behoove health and public health workers to recognize MMIW as a major public health crisis, acknowledge that the violence causes grave and lasting harm to individuals, families, and communities, and engage in violence prevention and other solutions that support survivors and families of missing and murdered Indigenous women. Minnesota has been a leader in acknowledging the history and causes of MMIW; now we all need to act to end the historic injustices of this violence.

Senator Mary Kunesh, Standing Rock Lakota descendant, was elected to the MN House of Representatives in 2016 and elected to the Senate in 2020. She is the first woman of Native descent to be elected a Minnesota Senator. Mary retired from her role as a public school library media specialist after 25 years’ service and is the Chair of the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Task force in MN, as well as the first in the nation, Missing and Murdered African American Women Task force. She also established the permanent office of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives in state government. She has served as an Assistant Majority Leader for the DFL House Caucus and currently holds the role of Assistant Minority leader in the MN Senate—the first Native American to hold that role in the legislature. Mary is a founding member of the Minnesota Native American Legislative and POCI (People Of Color Indigenous) caucuses.

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