[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 164 (Thursday, October 17, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1301]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 MISSING AND MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                             HON. DON YOUNG

                               of alaska

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, October 16, 2019

  Mr. YOUNG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to speak about the ongoing 
epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Alaska 
Native and American Indian women and girls face disproportionately high 
rates of violent crimes including murder, rape, kidnapping, and 
trafficking. Alaska Native and American Indian women are 10 times more 
likely to be murdered than other Americans. The National Crime 
Information Center reported that, in 2016, there were close to 6000 
reports of missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls. 
According to the Urban Indian Health Institute, Alaska is the fourth 
highest state in terms of the number of these cases.
  In Alaska, extreme isolation and lack of law enforcement in remote 
Native communities make it difficult to prevent and respond to these 
crimes. In fact, only one out of every three Alaska Native villages 
have any law enforcement at all. These villages are not connected to 
the road system, and it can take days for state troopers to respond to 
incidents, particularly when weather prevents flights from landing. 
Women and girls in urban areas also face risk factors, particularly 
when they are away from the support of family and culture.
  Given the scale of the crisis, it is troubling that tribes and Native 
communities do not have adequate resources to respond. Native 
communities around the country are governed by a varying patchwork of 
criminal jurisdictions that complicate law enforcement and leave Native 
women and girls unprotected. Native communities and tribes also lack 
full access to crime databases, which undermines the efforts of tribal 
law enforcement and tribal courts. In addition, the Justice Department, 
which is responsible for pursuing the most serious crimes in Native 
communities, declines to prosecute the majority of these cases.
  Instead of simply acknowledging these issues, Congress must act. We 
must reauthorize the Violence Against Women Act. VAWA funds vital 
programs, like domestic violence shelters. The House's reauthorization 
bill expands legal authority for tribes to prosecute violent crimes 
against women. It also includes a new demonstration program, enhanced 
by an amendment I offered, that would expand Alaska Native villages' 
jurisdictional authority.
  We must pass the BADGES Act, which Rep. Haaland sponsored and I 
cosponsored. The BADGES Act improves BIA law enforcement recruitment 
and retention. The bill also improves federal law enforcement reporting 
mechanisms for missing and murdered Indigenous women. In addition, it 
expands tribal access to federal criminal databases. Congress must 
honor the trust relationship and pass this crucial legislation.

                          ____________________