Lifting Up Voices of Native Youth and Teens for Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month

Across Indian Country, Teen Dating Violence Awareness Month (TDVAM) is an important opportunity to listen to and talk with youth and teens about healthy relationships and dating violence. As Native people, relationships represent our sacred connections with each other, grounded in the traditional understanding that ‘we are all related.’ However, we also know relationships are challenging and especially so for Native youth and teens that are exploring romantic relationships for the first time. Our young relatives deserve healthy, respectful love. Read our joint TDVAM statement with StrongHearts Native Helpline and Alaska Native Women’s Resource Center. Plus, join our TDVAM Twitter Chat on 2/12, check out our Native TDVAM social media guide, and share our #NativeLoveIs Instagram Challenge all month long!

Register for March Webinar - Traumatic Brain Injury and Domestic Violence: What are the Connections?

We know that domestic violence is a pattern of abuse and that victims are experience repeated instances of physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual violence. Traumatic brain injuries are often the result of repeated physical abuse and are cumulative and not unlike those experienced by athletes who have had multiple concussions. This important webinar on 3/17 will discuss the intersection of domestic violence and traumatic brain injury (TBI), strategies for advocates, the importance of trauma-informed approaches and provide valuable resources to strengthen our advocacy and understanding TBI effects. Sign up here.

Save the Date - Virtual Women are Sacred Conference: June 8-10, 2021

Calling all advocates and community members, NIWRC’s Women Are Sacred Conference (WAS) is going virtual! WAS is one of the largest gatherings of tribal domestic violence programs, advocates, survivors, tribal leaders and community members, law enforcement, and tribal court personnel dedicated to ending violence against Indian women and children. Our 2021 conference will provide virtual training opportunities, presentations, and keynote addresses by established and emerging Indigenous leaders and experts in the movement to end the violence on various topics focused on supporting tribal nations, tribal domestic violence programs and tribal community-based programs. More information about registration and the conference agenda will be available soon on the WAS conference website.

VAWA Sovereignty Initiative: Amicus Brief Officially Filed in U.S. v. Cooley

On January 15, 2021, NIWRC, joined by 11 Tribal Nations and 44 non-profit organizations committed to justice and safety for Native women, officially filed an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme Court in United States v. Cooley, a case that centers on whether the United States District Court for the District of Montana erred in suppressing evidence on the theory that a Crow Tribal police officer lacked authority to temporarily detain and search Mr. James Cooley, a non-Indian, on a public right-of-way within the Crow Indian Reservation, based on a potential violation of state or federal law. Last summer, the Crow Tribe led a group of dozens of tribal amici curiae participants supporting the United States’ petition for Supreme Court review. The Crow Tribe, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Native American Rights Fund also requested that the Supreme Court grant cert. The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the case during the 2021 Term. NIWRC sends our deepest appreciation to all of the Tribal Nations, advocates and allies who have joined this effort as part of our VAWA Sovereignty Initiative.

Human Trafficking

January is Human Trafficking Awareness Month and StrongHearts Native Helpline is dedicated to spreading awareness and sharing information about resources available to victim-survivors and their families. Human trafficking can happen to anyone, but statistics show that people of color and LGBTQ2S suffer the highest rates of victimization. These populations are made vulnerable through centuries of generational trauma, historic oppression, discrimination and racism. Social and economic inequities play a significant role in their victimization. Link to article.

Race and Education Webinar Feat. NIWRC Executive Director Lucy Simpson This Thursday

According to a 2019 GLSEN survey, more than 56% of Native & Indigenous LGBTQ students felt unsafe at school because of their gender expression. We know race affects the educational experience. We also know a students’ gender identity and expression can affect the educational experience. But how do race and gender identity/expression together affect education outcomes? During their 2/4 Race and Education webinar, The Hunt Institute will explore how gender and racism intersect in the education system and what students need in order to lead meaningful and joyful lives. Join the conversation to hear from Lucy Rain Simpson of the National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center, Sophia Arredondo of GLSEN, Rodrigo Heng-Lehtinen of the National Center for Transgender Equality, and Carlos Velazquez of Boys’ Club New York. Register for the webinar here.

What We're Reading...

• Without justice in Nome, women wrestle with trauma and healing after sexual assault
• California Gov. Gavin Newsom Reverses Parole for Convicted Killer of Oglala Woman
• Minnesota MMIW report confirms disproportionate rates of violence against Native women, girls | View report
• Girls of Color, Native Girls Have Been Sex Trafficked Since Colonization, Slavery 
• Hawaii Women’s Legislative Caucus outlines 2021 policy priorities
• Legislature: House Bill Filed Expand And Continue Work Of Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women Task Force
• Jury convicts Wolf Point man of rape, assault of woman on Fort Peck Indian Reservation
• Native Americans get voice in how to handle cases of missing, murdered
• Washington Man Sentenced to 21 months in Federal Prison for Assaulting Female Victim on the Colville Indian Reservation
• Native women win major award for ‘Water Protectors’ book

Funding Opportunities and Information

• U.S. Department of Justice, Office on Violence Against Women: 
  • Legal Assistance for Victims Grant Program Solicitation (Due: 2/3/2021)
  • Rural Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Program (Due: 3/16/2021)
  • Grants to Reduce Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault and Stalking on Campus Program (Due: 3/16/2021)
  • Sexual Assault Services Culturally Specific Program (Due: 3/16/2021)
  • Enhanced Training and Services to End Abuse in Later Life Program (Due: 3/23/2021)
  • Grants to Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction (Due: 3/26/2021)
  • Grants to Tribal Governments to Exercise Special Domestic Violence Criminal Jurisdiction: Targeted Support for Exercising Tribes (Due: 3/26/2021)
  • Improving Criminal Justice Responses to Domestic Violence, Dating Violence, Sexual Assault, and Stalking Grant Program (Due: 3/31/2021)
  • Grants for Outreach and Services to Underserved Populations (Due: 4/1/2021)
• U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs: 
  • Research and Evaluation of Services for Victims of Crime (Deadline Extended: 3/16/2021)
  • Research and Evaluation of Trafficking in Persons (Deadline Extended: 3/22/2021)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families: 
  • Personal Responsibility Education Program Innovative Strategies (Estimated Post Date: 3/21/2021)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families: 
  • Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) Competitive Grants (Estimated Post Date: 3/21/2021)
• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Administration for Children & Families:
  • Family Violence Prevention and Services Discretionary Grants: Capacity Building Center on Safe and Supportive Housing for Domestic Violence Survivors in Tribal Communities (Tribal Safe Housing Center) (Estimated Post Date: 3/21/2021)