Here, via the North Dakota Supreme Court website (and the Grand Forks Herald).
News
Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition to Release Report Today — UPDATE
Here is the full press release (PDF). An excerpt:
Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition
and Prostitution Research & Education
Release Landmark Report on Native Women in Minnesota
Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in MinnesotaSt. Paul, Minnesota – The Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition and Prostitution Research & Education have released the landmark report, Garden of Truth: The Prostitution and Trafficking of Native Women in Minnesota, the first study to detail the personal experiences of Native women who have been prostituted and trafficked in the state, as well as the specific resources and support they need to escape prostitution and trafficking. The report follows on earlier studies by Amnesty International and the US Justice Department which found that Native women experience the highest rates of sexual assault in the US.
Garden of Truth is based on interviews with more than 105 Native women in the Twin Cities, Duluth, and Bemidji, and finds a common thread of poverty and extreme and frequent violence throughout these women’s lifetimes, including child sexual abuse, rape, and beatings and traumatic brain injuries obtained during prostitution. A majority of the women experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. 98% have been homeless at some point during their lives, and 92% say they want to escape prostitution but believe they have no other options. About half of the women interviewed met a conservative legal definition of sex trafficking, which involves third-party control by pimps or traffickers.
“Native women are at exceptionally high risk for poverty and sexual violence, which are both elements in the trafficking of women,” says report co-author Nicole Matthews, Executive Director of the Minnesota Indian Women’s Sexual Assault Coalition. “The specific needs of Native women are not being met. Our goal was to assess the life circumstances of Native women in prostitution in Minnesota, a group of women not previously studied in research such as this.”
Garden of Truth calls prostitution a sexually exploitive, often violent economic option most often entered into by those with a lengthy history of sexual, racial, or economic victimization. “Prostitution is only now beginning to be understood as violence against women and children,” says report co-author Melissa Farley, founder of Prostitution Research & Education. “It has rarely been included in discussions of sexual violence against Native women. It is crucial to understand the sexual exploitation of Native women in prostitution today in its historical context of colonial violence against Native nations.”
NPR: Part 3 of ICWA Series — “Native Survivors of Foster Care Return Home”
Here. Excellent reporting.
NPR: Part 2 of ICWA Series–“Tribes Question Foster Group’s Power and Influence”
Here.
WaPo Coverage of Asian Carp Cert Petition
Here.
Update in Hul’qumi’num Land Claim: Press Release and Link to IACHR Presentation this Weekend
The Hul’qumi’num Land Claim presentation before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights WILL BE WEBCAST LIVE ON THE IACHR WEBSITE on Friday, October 28 and 9am ET, from the Padilha Vidal Room of the Commission, and will also be available for taped viewing after that on the Commission’s website.
Here are additional details, and news about a post-hearing press conference:
Canadian First Nations Secure Hearing before
International Rights Commission in Washington, D.C.
Press release (PDF)
Ladysmith BC – The Hul’qumi’num Treaty Group (HTG) will hold a media briefing conference call on Friday, October 28, 2011, following the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) hearing on the merits of their land rights claims. This case is significant because it is the first time that IACHR is considering a Canadian indigenous land rights issue.
“This represents a historic opportunity to address a human rights issue in Canada that could have far-reaching implications for the indigenous movement worldwide,” saidRobert Morales, Chief Negotiator for the HTG.
HTG has had a longstanding petition against Government of Canada for failing to secure, recognize and safeguard the property rights of the Hul’qumi’num indigenous peoples in their ancestral lands.
Morales added: “We are not asking to turn back the clock and investigate historic wrongs; rather urging effective resolution of land rights and consultations with the Hul’qumi’num indigenous peoples regarding the on-going deforestation and development activities by private corporations.”
WHAT: Press briefing conference call following IACHR hearing on Hul’qumi’num land rights case.
WHEN: Friday, October 28, 2011 at 12:00 noon U.S. EDT/ 9 a.m. BC time.
WHERE: Dial in to the following conference numbers:
U.S. Toll free: 1-888-529-0347
Canada/International: +1-719-234-7500
Pass code: 283634
WHO: Chief Richard Thomas, Chief Lydia Hwitsum, Robert A. Williams, Robert Morales HTG Spokespersons; Craig Benjamin, Amnesty International; Heather Neun, Lawyers Rights Watch Canada; and, Jody Wilson Raybould, Assembly of First Nations.
For additional details and to RSVP, please contact:
Rosanne Daniels 250-710-2201
Kelly Cross 202-530-4528
Elizabeth Berton-Hunter 416-363-9933 ext. 332
Here is an additional press release from supporting organizations: Continue reading
NYTs Article on Inupiat Village “Torn” by Oil Drilling Proposal
Here.
Part One of Three Part NPR Investigation in ICWA Compliance
Utterly devastating.
Here. An excerpt:
Key Findings Of This Investigation
* Each year, South Dakota removes an average of 700 Native American children from their homes. Indian children are less than 15 percent of state’s the child population, but make up more than half the children in foster care.
* Despite the Indian Child Welfare Act, which says Native American children must be placed with their family members, relatives, their tribes or other Native Americans, native children are more than twice as likely to be sent to foster care as children of other races, even in similar circumstances.
* Nearly 90 percent of Native American children sent to foster care in South Dakota are placed in non-native homes or group care.
* Less than 12 percent of Native American children in South Dakota foster care had been physically or sexually abused in their homes, below the national average. The state says parents have “neglected” their children, a subjective term. But tribe leaders tell NPR what social workers call neglect is often poverty; and sometimes native tradition.
* A close review of South Dakota’s budget shows that they receive almost $100 million a year to subsidize its foster care program.
John Poole/NPR Continue reading
More Bad Press on Tribal Payday Lending Companies
Two points on payday lenders that should be apparent by now:
1. Read the Nebraska Supreme Court decision in StoreVisions v. Omaha Tribe, where the court held that tribal immunity was waived where the tribal chair and vice chair signed a waiver document (without constitutional authority to waive immunity) in the presence of other council members, and which the court held the presence of the other council members was sufficient to waive tribal immunity. Courts will find a way to find a waiver.
2. Read David Fredericks’ rendition (pp.217-18) of the oral argument before the U.S. Supreme Court in C&L Enters. v. Citizen Potawatomi, where the Court directly asked the CPN attorney about the way tribes view immunity, and the deeply off-put reaction from the Court by the answer. In fact, here is that exchange (well worth the read):
Longtime Udall Foundation Chair to Step Down
LONGTIME UDALL FOUNDATION CHAIR TO STEP DOWN
Tucson—Terrence L. Bracy, who has chaired the Udall Foundation board of trustees for 17 years, will step down from that role at the end of October 2011. Bracy has led the board of the independent federal agency from its inception in late 1994 to the important government role it plays today.
The Foundation was established by the U.S. Congress in 1992 to honor the 30-year legacy of public service by Congressman Morris K. Udall and expanded in 2009 to honor Former Interior Secretary Stewart L. Udall. The Foundation is governed by a board of trustees whose members are appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Bracy was elected chair at the first meeting of the board in October 1994 and has remained chair throughout his three terms on the board.
“Terry’s dedicated service has been critical to advancing the tremendous legacies of Mo and Stewart Udall,” said Senator John McCain of Arizona. “I wish him the best.”
“Terry served many years to make sure the Udall legacy would be enshrined in the national consciousness, not just today but in the future,” said Congressman Raúl Grijalva of Arizona. “He has the sincere thanks of all of us who know how important the Udall Foundation and its work are to this country. I was happy to work with him, and he will be missed.”
Ellen Wheeler, executive director of the Udall Foundation notes, “Terry was instrumental in developing and advancing the programs of the Foundation. The Udall Foundation would not be the organization it is today without his involvement. Long after he steps down, Terry’s presence will continue to be felt throughout our programs.”
Bracy served as an aide to Congressman Mo Udall from 1966–1976. He also worked on Congressman Udall’s presidential campaign in 1976. In 1994, Bracy was appointed by President Bill Clinton to the board of trustees. He was reappointed by President Clinton in 1998, and by President George W. Bush in 2006. Bracy led the Foundation in creating the Udall Scholarship, which had its first class of scholarship recipients in 1995. Under his leadership, the Foundation also created the Native American Congressional Internship on Capitol Hill, cofounded the Native Nations Institute, and accepted from Congress the stewardship of the U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution.
Turtle Talk 
You must be logged in to post a comment.