#MMIW #MMIWG2

The hashtags #MMIW and #MMIWG2 have become increasingly prevalent on social media in the United States and in Canada. It was created to raise awareness of the human-rights crisis that disproportionately impacts Indigenous women, girls and two-spirit people. May 5th was declared the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People. It was a congressional resolution passed in honor of Hanna Harris (Northern Cheyenne) who went missing and was found murdered on the Cheyenne Reservation in July 2013. The Indigenous community and their allies wear red and gather to remember and continue to raise awareness of the MMIWG2 crisis.

Research has shown that Indigenous women are ten times more likely to be murdered than any other demographic. According to the CDC and Prevention Homicide, homicide is the third leading cause of death among those ages 10-24 and the fifth leading cause of death for Indigenous women between the ages of 25 and 34. The Urban Indian Health Institute (UIHI) report on MMIWG revealed that 84 percent of perpetrators were men and nearly half were non-Native. Additionally, the National Crime Information Center reported 5,712 cases of MMIWG (2016) and only 116 of these cases were logged into the Department of Justice’s database. These rates are thought to be much higher because of Indigenous women being mistaken for other races or members of tribes not Federally recognized.

Indigenous women and communities have been working diligently to demand justice and accountability from perpetrators for the victims and families of MMIWG2. The MMIWG2 movement is the embodiment of Indigenous resilience, strength and kinship.

Want to know more? visit www.mmiwusa.org