Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA

Direct link to the original publication: Maze of Injustice.

From the website: "A SUMMARY OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S FINDINGS: Sexual violence against Indigenous women in the USA is widespread. According to US government statistics, Native American and Alaska Native women are more than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the USA. Some Indigenous women interviewed by Amnesty International said they didn't know anyone in their community who had not experienced sexual violence. Though rape is always an act of violence, there is evidence that Indigenous women are more likely than other women to suffer additional violence at the hands of their attackers. According to the US Department of Justice, in at least 86 per cent of the reported cases of rape or sexual assault against American Indian and Alaska Native women, survivors report that the perpetrators are non-Native men. Sexual violence against Indigenous women is the result of a number of factors and continues a history of widespread human rights abuses against Indigenous peoples in the USA. Historically, Indigenous women were raped by settlers and soldiers, including during the Trail of Tears and the Long Walk. Such attacks were not random or individual; they were tools of conquest and colonization. The attitudes towards Indigenous peoples that underpin such human rights abuses continue to be present in in the USA today. They contribute to the present high rates of sexual violence perpetrated against Indigenous women and help to shield their attackers from justice. They also reflect a broader societal norm that devalues women and girls and creates power dynamics that enable sexual violence against women of all backgrounds."

This page contains downloadable copies of Amnesty International's Maze of Injustice publication (112 pages) as well as a link to Amnesty International's Maze of Injustice follow-up publication.

Dublin Core

Title

Maze of Injustice: The Failure to Protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA

Date

2022-11-16

Contributor

Format

Language

Date Modified

2011-08-08

Date Created

2007

Instructional Method

Audience Education Level

Audience

Spatial Coverage

United States [n-us]

Abstract

Direct link to the original publication: Maze of Injustice.

From the website: "A SUMMARY OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL'S FINDINGS: Sexual violence against Indigenous women in the USA is widespread. According to US government statistics, Native American and Alaska Native women are more than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the USA. Some Indigenous women interviewed by Amnesty International said they didn't know anyone in their community who had not experienced sexual violence. Though rape is always an act of violence, there is evidence that Indigenous women are more likely than other women to suffer additional violence at the hands of their attackers. According to the US Department of Justice, in at least 86 per cent of the reported cases of rape or sexual assault against American Indian and Alaska Native women, survivors report that the perpetrators are non-Native men. Sexual violence against Indigenous women is the result of a number of factors and continues a history of widespread human rights abuses against Indigenous peoples in the USA. Historically, Indigenous women were raped by settlers and soldiers, including during the Trail of Tears and the Long Walk. Such attacks were not random or individual; they were tools of conquest and colonization. The attitudes towards Indigenous peoples that underpin such human rights abuses continue to be present in in the USA today. They contribute to the present high rates of sexual violence perpetrated against Indigenous women and help to shield their attackers from justice. They also reflect a broader societal norm that devalues women and girls and creates power dynamics that enable sexual violence against women of all backgrounds."

This page contains downloadable copies of Amnesty International's Maze of Injustice publication (112 pages) as well as a link to Amnesty International's Maze of Injustice follow-up publication.

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