08/01/2022 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/01/2022 14:57
Task Force releases 10 recommendations to address crisis, including creating and fully funding an MMIWP cold case unit in the Attorney General's Office
OLYMPIA - The Washington State Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and People (MMIWP) Task Force issued its first report today, including 10 unanimously adopted recommendations to begin addressing gaps in services and response to violence against Indigenous people.
The 25-member Task Force is facilitated by the Attorney General's Office. It coordinates a statewide response to the urgent crisis of Indigenous people who go missing, are the victims of homicide, or experience other types of gender-based violence in urban and tribal communities. Building on the foundational work of tribes, activists, grassroots advocates, families, and survivors, the Task Force has met quarterly and in bi-weekly subcommittee meetings to understand the scope of violence against Indigenous people and to identify how it can be addressed through systemic and institutional changes.
The Task Force is calling on the Legislature to create and fully fund an MMIWP-focused cold case unit within the Attorney General's Office. Attorney General Bob Ferguson endorses the recommendation. Today he announced that he will propose Attorney General-request legislation to accomplish this goal.
The Task Force will produce its next report to the Governor and Legislature on June 1, 2023.
"I look forward to honoring the Task Force's recommendation and working to create an MMIWP cold case unit in my office," Ferguson said. "If funded, a cold case unit will direct critical resources toward these cases and help address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women and people."
"This work is important," said Puyallup Tribe Councilmember and MMIWP Task Force Executive Committee Member Anna Bean. "This work is necessary. Most of all, our missing and murdered relatives need us. That goes for anyone in attendance, listening or reading about this work. Someone needs you, you can help. This epidemic has to stop."
Task Force background
The 25-member Task Force began meeting in December 2021, holding six full meetings in the last seven months. In addition, the Task Force formed five subcommittees that met separately, covering everything from MMIWP families to data and research, criminal justice to community services. Beginning in March 2022, the Task Force also hosted monthly family talking circles to provide a space for survivors, family members and impacted community members to gather to share their experiences, find support and build community.
The Task Force combines the institutional and cultural knowledge of Indigenous communities, tribal nations and state agencies to center the experiences of survivors and families and to approach the work in a way that is responsive to communities and grounded in Indigenous values.
Violence against Indigenous women and within Indigenous communities continues to be underreported and misunderstood throughout Indian Country and the United States. Complex issues around jurisdiction and data collection have created obstacles to understanding the full extent of how many Indigenous women have gone missing, been murdered or been the victim of other types of gender-based crime over generations.
Through its work, the Task Force identified a number of systemic and institutional barriers that impact the response to violence against Indigenous people throughout the Pacific Northwest, including:
Task Force recommendations
Today's report outlines 10 recommendations to the Governor and the Legislature, including:
The work ahead
The report also outlines the focus of the Task Force's continued work. Moving forward, the MMIWP Task Force will focus on addressing the systemic and institutional barriers it has identified, including:
For more information on the MMIWP Task Force, visit the Task Force's web page at https://www.atg.wa.gov/washington-state-missing-and-murdered-indigenous-women-and-people-task-force, or contact Annie Forsman-Adams at [email protected].
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