A new study funded by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) looks at the extent and impact of sexual and intimate partner violence against American Indian and Alaska Native victims. The study analyzed data from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey (NISVS).
The rates of violence against both Native women and men are alarming. More than 4 in 5 of American Indian or Alaska Native people (84% of women and 82% of men) have experienced intimate partner or sexual violence in their lifetime.
Key findings from the report:
- The vast majority of American Indian and Alaska Native victims were victimized by a non-Native perpetrator. 97% of female victims and 90% of male victims had experienced at least one incident of violence by a perpetrator of a different race. This data highlights the critical importance of Indian nation’s sovereign right to prosecute non-Indian offenders who harm Native people on tribal land.
- 9 out of 10 American Indian or Alaska Native victims (93% of women and 90% of men) talked to someone about the violence they experienced.
- The impact of violence was especially severe for American Indian and Alaska Native women. 41% of female victims and 28% of male victims were physically injured. 41% of female victims and 22% of male victims missed work or school as a result of sexual or intimate partner violence.
- The study found that too many Native victims do not get the services they need. Nearly half of female victims reported needing services, including medical care, advocacy, housing, and legal services. Of those, 38% were not able to get what they needed. American Indian and Alaska Native women who had experienced intimate partner and sexual violence were more than twice as likely as white women to need services that they could not get.
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