MMIWG, or Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is a movement initiated by Native women and the families of these women to call on the United States and Canadian governments to bridge the justice gap and atone for the past that has caused sexual violence towards Indigenous women and girls. The movement has been sparked in recent years as the justice departments across governments continue to do nothing about the mistreatment of Native women and girls. But, what is this movement and how did this happen?

The national average for women who have experienced sexual violence is 1 in 5 women. Approximately 84.3% of Native women have experienced sexual violence. In addition, murder is the third leading cause of death among Native women, and the majority of perpetrators are non-Native. 

This violence follows a long historical pattern of racism against Native people. Starting with the colonization of North America during the Age of Exploration, Native people were forced out of their land and subjected to assimilationist practices by the United States government. 

In the United States and Canada, governments forcefully took Native children away from their parents, communities, and cultures. They placed them in Christian residential schools, to strip the children of their culture and forcefully assimilate them into “American culture.” These practices were horrifying, and in many cases traumatizing for children. Native children were punished for speaking their language, wearing cultural clothing, and participating in cultural practices. This is one of many examples of how the United States and Canadian governments have inflicted harm upon Native communities. 

In addition, colonization has led to tropes and stereotypes about Native women and girls that contribute to the fetishization and sexual violence Native women experience. Tropes like the “Beautiful Maiden” stereotype show Native women as objects to be desired and show white men sexualizing Native women. Examples of this include Pocohantas, or the Avatar movies, in which Native women are sexualized through clothing and the gaze of white men. However, these tropes impact real people off the screen. These portrayals of Indigenous women and girls lead to the fetishization of Native women in real life and lead to the violence they experience. 

In addition to experiencing a disproportionate amount of sexual violence, Native women are also less likely to have their cases publicized or even investigated. While there were nearly 5,712 cases of MMIWG reported in 2016, the Department of Justice reported only 116 of these cases were logged in the Department’s database. 

And most media outlets focus only on the missing cases of white women, something which has recently been known as “Missing White Women Syndrome” by many. “Missing White Women Syndrome” describes a phenomenon of the media and police departments focusing on the missing person cases of white women, while completely disregarding or delegating fewer resources towards efforts to find non-white missing people. This phenomenon is yet another example of institutional racism against Indigenous communities and follows the trend of the justice system not supporting Native communities while also forcing Native communities to rely upon them in an open attempt against Native sovereignty. The Justice System has also overturned landmark cases supporting Native communities in recent years, specifically on the Supreme Court level. 

The Supreme Court overturned the Indian Child Welfare Act, a federal law that ensures that Native children remain with Native adults, in November 2022.   In addition, cases in recent years arguing on changing legislation to allow Native people to keep their sovereign land in the cases of properties that have been unoccupied have been overruled by the Supreme Court, in which justices have repeatedly argued against Native sovereignty. Furthermore, the Supreme Court declared in 1978 (Oliphant v. Suquamish Indian Tribe) that Native nations can’t prosecute non-Native people on Native land or who commit crimes against Native people. 

Combined with the Justice Department ignoring the cases of Indigenous individuals and the amount of violence Native women and children experience, the cases of MMIWG have affected Native communities deeply. Native activists such as Brenda Child (Red Lake Ojibwe) have started the MMIWG movement to help Native communities and to bring awareness to the issue. Activists have created the symbol of the red hand, to symbolize the violence inflicted upon Indigenous women and girls. 

This issue spans the continent of North America and multiple governments.

To support Native communities and hold governments accountable, it’s important to get involved. To support, you can wear red on May 5 and post on social media using hashtags #MMIW, #NationalDayofAwareness, or #MMIWG. Participating in community events, sharing information about MMIWG, and staying updated are all ways to support the MMIWG movement.