Join NIWRC, our partners, and families of missing and murdered Indigenous women as we start our National Week of Action with our prayers for healing, safety, and justice for Indigenous women, our families and nations. Our prayers root us firmly in our Indigenous identities, customs and traditions that have survived and thrive in the face of colonization and genocide. Our prayers ensure we honor Indigenous women who are respected and held sacred within our nations and have been missing and/or been murdered. Our prayers also guide our advocacy to remove the systemic barriers and restore women’s sacred status.

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) invites you to learn more about the complex and ongoing Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) crisis.

The current systemic response to violence against Native women is inadequate and the rate at which we are losing our women is devastating to our tribal communities and to the Nation as a whole. Insufficient resources and lack of clarity on jurisdictional responsibilities have exacerbated efforts to locate those who are missing. The federal Indian legal framework is complex and creates many barriers for victims and Tribes working to protect their citizens. Moreover, resources are scarce and culturally appropriate services are practically non-existent. Please join us as we listen to victim-survivors and family members, victim service providers, Tribal judges, and members of Congress discuss national policy issues and recommendations in support of Tribal Nations to enhance safety for Native women.