There are currently 506 cases of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) identified across 71 selected urban cities, according to the Urban Indian Health Institute. Of those cases, 128 are missing indigenous women, 280 are murdered, 98 have an “unknown status” and the median age of victims is 29 years old.
In 2016, the Urban Indian Health Institute said there were 5,712 Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls cases reported, but only 116 logged in the Department of Justice’s database. UIHI also identifies the Invisible 153, which represents cases that do not exist in law enforcement records.
Media attention is very lacking on coverage of Native American women cases despite the national murder rate being 10 times higher for women living on a reservation and murder being the third leading cause of death for Native American women.
According to MMIWNC.org, North Carolina sees the most violence toward indigenous women in the eastern part of the state. There have been at least 31 Native American women who have gone missing in eastern North Carolina since 1998.
The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women campaign started around 2015 to raise awareness and has been gaining momentum ever since making its way across the country.
“The MMIW is currently working on starting a chapter in Cherokee. The movement has been coming across the United States and has now made its way to western North Carolina,” said Sky Sampson, Director of the Cherokee Center at Western Carolina University and a member of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indian.
Read more at TheSmokyMountainTimes.com.
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