As a tribal coalition, CSVANW does not provide emergency or direct services.  If you are in an unsafe situation or need immediate assistance please dial 911.

MMIWG2S Statistics

4 out of 5 of our Native women experienced some form of violence in their lifetime.

Source: Rosay, André B., Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and Men: 2010 Findings from the National Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Survey. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, 2016, NCJ 249736.

Native women face murder rates more  10x times the national average.

Source: Bachman, R., Zaykowski, H., Kallymer, R., Poteyeva, M., & Lanier, C. (2008). Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women and the Criminal Justice Response: What is Known. Washington, DC: US Department of Justice.

Homicide is the third leading cause of death among Native girls, women aged 10 to 24, and the fifth leading cause of death for Native women aged 25 to 34.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Leading Causes of Death in Females by Age Group, American Indian/Alaska Native. 2015. Retrieved from: https://www.cdc.gov/women/lcod/2015/native/index.htm.

About MMIWG2S

MMIWG2S – Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two Spirit

What is MMIWG? It is a community-based grassroots movement raising awareness and addressing the lack of response when a Native women or girl goes missing or is murdered.

What Contributes to MMIWG? The legacy of violence against our Native women and children within New Mexico dates to the Spanish and Euro-American invasion of our Native lands and our sacred bodies. From the Navajo Long Walk to the slave trades in Albuquerque’s Old Town to the current struggles of cases being lost within our judicial system- this is a legacy of violence… This incursion of violence onto our most sacred… Must be spoken about. Many times Native people are targeted in bordertowns for the color of a person’s skin, anti-Indianism, and the influences of settler colonialism.

New Mexico ranks 3rd of being the “highest violent” state in the United States with 6,561 violent crimes per 100,000. When we look at border-town violence and police brutality against Native people, Native people are more likely to be killed by police officers than any other minority group in the Nation. We are #1 in child poverty, and we rank 49th in education; over 40% of our Native youth live in poverty here.

MMIWG in New Mexico

There were 506 cases of MMIWG in 71 urban cities across the United States.

NM has the highest incidents of MMIWG cases at 78 cases.

29 is the median age of MMIWG victims.

Cases of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, two spirit (LGBTQ2S+) have been undercounted.

NM has two of the top 10 cities nationwide with the highest number of MMIWG cases:
Albuquerque, 37 cases
Gallup, 25 cases

Murder is the 3rd leading cause of death among American Indian and Alaska Natives.

Source: Lucchesi A., & Echo-Hawk, A. (2018). Missing and murdered Indigenous women & girls: A snapshot of data from 71 urban cities in the United States. Urban Indian Health Institute.

MMIWG2S Videos

House Subcommittee on Civil Rights and Civil Liberties hearing on “The Neglected Epidemic of Missing BIPOC Women and Girls” (March 3, 2022)

Slavery In New Mexico, Missing And Murdered Indigenous Women And Girls Movement, The Line

On-going struggles that continue the pattern of structural violence

Image Courtesy of Urban Indian Health Insititute

Jurisdictional

Federal, State, County, Tribal, Private

A Lack Of

Emergency Services, Amber Alert, Counseling, Family Services

Relationships

between governing entities

FBI and Tribal Communication

State and Tribal Communication

Overall Community Awareness

Chapters, Pueblos, Apache Communities

MMIWG2S Definitions

  • Settler Colonialism: “US policies and actions related to Indigenous peoples, through often termed “racist” or discriminatory,” are rarely depicted as what they are: classic cases on imperialism, a particular form of colonialism – settler colonialism…Settler Colonialism is a genocidal policy” (2 & 6). – Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz in An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the US.
  • Bordertown Violence: Towns that are nearby reservations that are economically dependent on Indigenous peoples and that neighbor Native Nations.
  • Police brutality against Native people: Native people are more likely to be killed by police officers than any other minority group in the Nation.

“A Call to Remember our Missing and Murdered Native Women and Girls” By Cheyenne Antonio

The legacy of violence against our Native women and children within New Mexico dates back to the Spanish and Euro-American invasion of our Native lands and our sacred bodies. From the Navajo Long Walk to the slave trades in Albuquerque’s Old Town to the current struggles of cases being lost within our judicial system- this is a legacy of violence… this incursion of violence onto our most sacred… must be spoken about. Read More >>>

In solidarity, we are thinking of our sisters who’ve gone missing or murdered such as Loreal Tsinigie, Ashlynn Mike, Anthonette Christine Cayedito, …the list goes on.

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