Trump administration launches task force to tackle violence against Native American women

The Trump administration on Wednesday established a task force tackling the epidemic of missing, abused and murdered American Indian women.

The task force, a joint operation of the Justice, Interior and Health and Human Services departments, held its first meeting in Washington and set its goals for addressing what American Indian activists say is a long-ignored problem.

“Today marks a giant step forward,” Tara Sweeney, assistant secretary for the Interior Department’s Bureau of Indian Affairs, told reporters. “The epidemic of missing and murdered Native Americans continues to cast a necessary spotlight on the dire need for action.”

She said the task force intends to do more than putting a spotlight on the plague of violence against American Indians, which is particularly widespread among American Indian women.

More than 84% of American Indian women have experienced sexual, physical or psychological violence in their lifetime, according to data compiled by the National Institute of Justice.

A 2018 report by the Urban Indian Health Institute found that 506 indigenous women and girls had disappeared or been killed in 71 American cities in 2016.

“I have to say we have a large and important charge ahead of us,” said Katie Sullivan, principal deputy assistant attorney general. “We are coming together to listen, learn and recommend solutions.”

Goals of the panel include systemizing the way tribal, local state and federal law enforcement report and manage missing and murdered cases; improve data collection; and reach out to the communities most affected by crimes against American Indians.

The task force also announced its first listening session with American Indian leaders at the National Congress of American Indians conference on Feb. 12.

The session will be the first of several around the country to discuss the scope of the problem with tribal governments.

Marcia Good, senior counsel to the Justice Department’s Office of Tribal Justice and a former prosecutor of Indian Country crimes, was named as the task force’s executive director.

President Trump established the task force in a November executive order.

The panel will report its preliminary findings to Mr. Trump in November with a final report due in 2021.

Attorney General William Barr and Secretary of Interior David Bernhardt will head the task force. Officials from both agencies will be on the panel.

Mr. Barr said the government will commit $1.5 million to hire coordinators in 11 states where violence against American Indians is most pressing. None of those funds have been allocated to the task force. Ms. Sweeney said the panel is using existing resources to fund its activities until special funding has been allocated.