How Historical Traumas and Non-Native Presence are Affecting Rates of Violence on Native Lands

• In Event: Roundtable: Studies on Intimate Partner and Domestic Violence

Abstract

On March 7, 2013 President Obama signed the Violence against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013, Public Law 113-4 (or VAWA 2013). This legislation allows Native American tribes to have special domestic violence criminal jurisdiction (SDVCJ) to prosecute non-Natives committing acts of dating and domestic violence against Native Americans on tribal lands (Department of Justice, 2014). Although VAWA 2013 is a tremendous leap in the appropriate direction, there is still high rates of other forms of violence that are not being addressed and continue today in the Native American community. This paper proposes extending rational choice and exchange theory for policy change on Tribal Lands with Intersectionality theory. With this theoretical framework, this study would attempt to show how the historical relationship with Native Americans in the United States, and overwhelming presence of non-Native individuals on Native lands, continues to further the rates of violence against Native women, and proposes policy and legal changes to further help the Tribal governments protect their people.

Author

• Hillary White, University of North Carolina Wilmington