According to the National Institute of Justice, 84.3% of Native American women experience some sort of violence in their lifetime. A staggering 56.1% experience sexual violence, 55.5% experience physical intimate partner violence, and 48.8% are victims of stalking. About 97% of the violence is committed by non-tribal members. Overall, Native American women are 1.2 times as likely to experience violence than white women.
Although the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) grants tribal nations the ability to prosecute non-tribal members for domestic abuse, it does not grant them the power to prosecute non-tribal members for rape, sexual assault, or child abuse. And even if perpetrators are prosecuted on tribal land, the ruling or protections granted to survivors often do not translate outside the reservation.
Many survivors of sexual and physical violence have a difficult time finding support due to stigma or lack of resources. These difficulties are exacerbated for Native American women because of the inability to prosecute non-tribal members for violent offenses. With such an overwhelming and disproportionate amount of violence against Native Women, resource centers and funding are key to providing much-needed support.
That’s where the Wabanaki Women’s Coalition is making a big difference.
The Wabanaki Women’s Coalition has a long-standing mission to “increase the capacity of tribal communities to respond to domestic and sexual violence, and influence tribal, national, and regional systems to increase awareness, safety, justice, and healing for all our relations.” Since 2012, they have established sexual and domestic violence resource centers for all five Wabanaki Tribes of Maine. Along with providing educational resources, key services include emergency shelter, hospital accompaniment, legal advocacy, and more.
Their vision is not only to provide these much-needed resources to the women of the Wabanaki Tribes, but to guide legislation, systems, and policies for lasting change.
On November 11th, 12th, and 13th, join Her Campus at Colby in supporting the Wabanaki Women’s Coalition. On Wednesday the 11th, we will be tabling in the SPA from 11 am – 4 pm, so make sure to come by to learn more and donate! If you can’t make it, make sure to check out our Instagram page, @hercampusatcolby, for donation information. The rest of our fundraiser will take place exclusively online. To keep everyone safe during this time, we will only be taking Venmo donations.
To learn more about the Wabanaki Women’s Coalition and their programs, please visit their website.