Rosie Hidalgo and Elizabeth Rodke Washburn

“ As we commemorate Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April, we must recommit ourselves to preventing sexual assault and improving our response for all survivors — including by addressing the unique challenges faced by Native American women — and strive to uphold the dignity and human right of all people to live free from sexual violence. ”

“ Women’s History Month has provided an opportunity for us to shine a light on so many courageous women who have made valuable contributions while overcoming significant barriers and challenges. This is certainly the case for many survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, whose voices, resilience, leadership, and dedication have paved the way for legal reforms and the creation of services to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. ”

“ Native American women are victimized at higher rates than any other population in the United States, and the vast majority of Native American survivors report being victimized by a non-Native individual. Courageous survivors, like Diane Millich, provided testimony and advocacy during the last reauthorization of VAWA to shine a light on the fact that, because of the complex legal issues of jurisdiction in Indian country, Native American victims of domestic violence could not seek the assistance of Tribal courts or Tribal law enforcement in cases where the abuser was not Native American. ”