>>>
>>> IT
>>> IT IS
>>> IT IS HARD TO BELIEVE THAT THE INDIAN HEALTH BOARD FOUND
THAT 150 NATI AMERICAN WOMEN
REPORTED BEING RAPED OR COERCED
INTO SEX.
INTO SEX.
INTO SEX. TO HELP GIVE US INSIGHT ONTO
THIS TROUBLING STATISTIC IS
ABIGAIL ECHO-HAWK AND ESTHER
LUCERO.
LUCERO.
LUCERO. I
LUCERO. I READ THIS ARTICLE AND THE
SEATTLE TIMES AND I HAD TO
REREAD IT A COUPLE TIMES
BECAUSE I WAS IN DISBELIEF OF
THE NUMBER.
THE NUMBER. IS A TERRIBLE.
WHAT IS THE NUMBER SO HIGH
AMONG NATIVE AMERICANS?
WE KNOW THAT THE POPULATION IS
VERY VULNERABLE AS A RESULT OF
HOW WE ENDED UP IN THE CITY.
WE HAD PEOPLE WHO HAVE THIS AS
THE ORIGINAL HOMELAND BUT
OTHERS WERE TAKEN HERE BY THE
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT RELOCATION
PROGRAMS.
PROGRAMS.
PROGRAMS. AND THEY COME FROM OTHER
ECONOMIC PLACES SO AS A RESULT,
WE FOUND THAT FOR MANY PEOPLE,
THE SERVICES THAT THEY NEEDED,
THE UNDERSTANDING THAT THEY
NEEDED AS A PEOPLE WASN'T
THERE.
THERE.
THERE. SO
THERE. SO WE HAVE LARGE RIGHTS OF
PEOPLE WHO ARE HOMELESS AS WE
SON THE REPORT, AND THE
MAJORITY OF WOMEN WERE HOMELESS
AND VERY LOW INCOME.
SO THEY WERE VERY VULNERABLE
WITHIN THE ON LARGER AMERICAN
INDIAN POPULATION.
INDIAN POPULATION. SO SOME OF THOSE STRUCTURAL
THINGS THAT HAPPENED WHERE
PEOPLE HAVE DIRECTLY RESULTED
IN THIS.
IN THIS.
IN THIS. >> I KNOW THERE IS A STIGMA OF
GOING TO POLICE SO THERE'S NOT
A LOT OF TRUST IN POLICE.
SO THAT MEANS THIS GOES
UNREPORTED.
UNREPORTED. >> YES, DEFINITELY.
SO THERE IS THAT WHOLE
PERCEPTION GENERALLY.
PERCEPTION GENERALLY. SO THIS PERPETUATED THE POLICE
SYSTEM AND THE FACT THAT ONLY 8%
OF THOSE THAT WERE REPORTED WERE
INVESTIGATED.
INVESTIGATED. SO THAT IS PRETTY SIGNIFICANT.
>> SO WHAT DO YOU DO NOW IN THE
BOARD?
BOARD?
BOARD? ARE YOU TRYING TO CONNECT WITH
POLICE?
POLICE?
POLICE? BEFORE IT'S TOO LATE?
>> THERE ARE SEVERAL DIFFERENT
THINGS THAT SPEAK TO THEM MORE
INDIVIDUALLY.
INDIVIDUALLY. I DIRECT THE URBAN HEALTH
INSTITUTE WHICH IS A DIVISION
OF THE HEALTH BOARD THAT DOES
THE DATA AND RESEARCH.
MY WORK IS LOOKING AT HOW WE
GATHER MORE INFORMATION.
WHAT DO WE DO WITH IT AND HOW
DO WE ENSURE THAT IT IS HELPING
THE COMMUNITY THAT NEEDS TO.
SO IT IS RECOGNIZING THAT FOR
THE COUNTY DEPARTMENTS, AND THE
CITY DEPARTMENTS, WE HAVE KNOWN
THAT THERE HIGH RATES OF SEXUAL
VIOLENCE.
VIOLENCE.
VIOLENCE. 94% WITH MORE THAN WE THOUGHT
THAT WE KNEW THERE WERE
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS.
PROBLEMS. WE DIDN'T HAVE THE DATA TO GO
TO THE CITY OR COUNTY AND SAY
THIS IS WHAT IS HAPPENING.
AND WE WANT THEM TO COME TO US,
THEY NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT
THIS IS HAPPENING.
>> FROM THE SERVICE DELIVERY
PERSPECTIVE, IT IS IMPORTANT
THAT WE LISTEN TO THE COMMUNITY
AND WE IMPLEMENT APPROPRIATE
PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT OUR PEOPLE.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, A NURSE
EXAMINER SHOULD COMMUNICATE
WITH THE COMMUNITY CENTERS, NOT
THE HOSPITAL.
THE HOSPITAL. SO THEY NEED TO EMPLOY SOME OF
THE COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT WOMEN
WHEN THEY ACTUALLY REACH OUT.
SO IT HELPS TO BUILD TRUST IN
THE COMMUNITY.
THE COMMUNITY. >> ARE YOU DOING ANYTHING TO
REACH OUT TO THE NATIVE
AMERICAN WOMEN IN GENERAL?
IN TRYING TO GET THE RESOURCES
TO THEM, TO HELP THEM
UNDERSTAND ABOUT COUNSELING?
>> SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE
DID BEFORE WE RELEASE THE
REPORT WAS TALK TO THE
COMMUNITY FIRST.
COMMUNITY FIRST. WE HAD COMMUNITY MEETINGS AND
WE MET WITH THE ORGANIZATIONS
SO WE PARTNERED WITH THEM IN
THE CITY.
THE CITY.
THE CITY. THE MOTHER NATION, THE ALL
TRIBES AND OTHERS TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE COULD PROVIDE AS MUCH
COORDINATED SERVICE DELIVERY AS
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE.
POSSIBLE. >> GOING BACK TO THE ORIGINAL
QUESTION, THE FACT THAT
HOMELESS WOMEN IN GENERAL ARE
MORE VULNERABLE TO SEXUAL
ASSAULT, IT'S BECAUSE THEY ARE
HOMELESS IS BECAUSE IT'S SO
BIG?
BIG?
BIG? >>
BIG? >> THE WOMEN WHO PARTICIPATED
WERE HOMELESS PROBABLY HALF OF
THEM.
THEM.
THEM. BUT
THEM. BUT THE OTHERS WERE NOT.
SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE
NATIONAL STATISTIC, WE FOUND
THAT NATIVE WOMEN MARCH MORE
LIKELY TO BE RAPED IN THEIR
LIFETIME, TO BE SEXILY
ASSAULTED.
ASSAULTED. SO DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND
PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, YOU SEE THAT
IS A NATIONAL PROBLEM, JUST NOT
SEATTLE.
SEATTLE.
SEATTLE. THE DATA IS NOT JUST SEATTLE.
>> HOWEVER, I THINK THAT THIS
COULD GO BACK TO THE BOARDING
SCHOOLS WHICH IS WHERE WE
STARTED TO SEE THE FAMILIES
DISMANTLED.
DISMANTLED. THE REMOVAL FROM PRACTICES AND
COMMUNITIES.
COMMUNITIES. THAT WAS MORMON SUPPORTING AND
NURTURING.
NURTURING. SO WHEN YOU SEE THE SYSTEMS
TAKEN DOWN, AND YOU MOVED
GENERATIONS, WE ARE LOOKING AT
COMMUNITIES THAT ARE SEEKING
THAT KNOWLEDGE. SO TO MAKE SURE
THAT WE CAN GET INVOLVED, THAT
IS PART OF JUST THE GENOCIDE.
SO WE THINK THAT MANY FOLKS
HAVE A HARD TIME VIEWING THEM
AS HUMAN.
AS HUMAN.
AS HUMAN. SO WE SEE THE VIOLENCE THAT IS
OUTSIDE THE COMMUNITY, ONE FROM
BROKEN SYSTEMS.
BROKEN SYSTEMS. >> BECAUSE OF THEIR RACE AND
NATIONALITY OR BECAUSE THE JOBS
IN THE PLACES THEY ARE BECAUSE
OF THEIR SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS?
>> I DO THINK IT IS BOTH.
WHEN WE THINK ABOUT PREDATORS,
THEY ARE VERY GOOD AT GROOMING,
VERY GOOD AT MINING THOSE THAT
ARE VULNERABLE.
ARE VULNERABLE. WHEN YOU FIND THEM, THEY ARE
MORE LIKELY TO STAY IN THAT
GROUP AND CONTINUE TO VICTIMIZE.
WE HAVE TO LOOK AT THE MISSED
TRUST IN THAT SYSTEM.
OUR PEOPLE ARE NOT REPORTING,
ONLY 20% OF THE WOMEN ACTUALLY
REPORTED THAT TO THE POLICE.
AT ABOUT 20%, ONLY 8% SAW
CONVICTION.
CONVICTION. WHY?
WHY?
WHY? THAT
WHY? THAT IS MY QUESTION TO THE
JUSTICE SYSTEM.
JUSTICE SYSTEM. THAT'S WHAT WE NEED TO ADDRESS,
THAT'S WHERE THE PROBLEM LIES.
IT DOESN'T MATTER THAT THEY
WEREN'T REPORTING, ACTUALLY.
WHAT AND WHY ARE THE NOT ARE
THE SYSTEMS NOT HELPING?
>> WHAT ARE YOU DOING FOR THE
YOUNG WOMEN TO START EARLY AND
GET THEM ON THE RIGHT TRACK?
>> I DON'T LIKE TO PLACE THE
ONUS ON THE WOMEN BEING RAPED.
WE HAVE TO PLACE IT ON THE
COMMUNITY AND SAY WHY ARE WOMEN
BEING RAPED?
BEING RAPED? IS NOT THE WOMAN'S
RESPONSIBILITY.
RESPONSIBILITY. I DON'T WANT TO TEACH OUR GIRLS
WHAT TO DO WHEN THEY BEEN READ,
I DON'T WANT THEM TO EVER BE
RAPED.
RAPED.
RAPED. BUT WE WANT TO DO IS LOOK AT
THE COMMUNITY AND THE
INCREDIBLE PROGRAMS THAT OTHERS
ARE BEING IMPLEMENTED TO
SUPPORT THE WOMEN.
BUT WE HAVE TO LOOK AT SOCIETY
AND SAY WHY ARE WOMEN BEING
VICTIMIZED AT THIS RATE?
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH, I HOPE
PEOPLE ARE LISTENING AND
LEARNING ABOUT THIS.
THANK YOU SO MUCH, WE WILL BE