Invisible Genocide: What is the MMIW Movement?

Summary

Despite the MMIW epidemic showing no signs of stopping, there is a criminal lack of information being spread by governing bodies across the United States and Canada, much less action being taken to protect First Nations Women. MMIW refers to ‘Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women’. In this article, we’ll be discussing topics such as, ‘how many MMIW are there?’ and taking a look into the basics of the movement, as well as what we can all do to help stop the crisis.

What is the MMIW Movement?

The MMIW Movement as we think of it today was created in 2005, when Bridget Trolley founded the Sisters in Spirit vigils, which continue to take place across Canada on October 4, in honour of the thousands of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women who have gone missing since the start of colonisation. Those who have gone missing since 1980 are particularly remembered (since records before this time are essentially nonexistent). 

You might also see the hashtags #mmiw, #mmiwg, and #mmiwg2s (the g standing for girls, and 2s standing for two-spirits) floating around on social media from time to time. As with most internet trends, it’s hard to pin down who started this, but the cause is very real, and the reason behind it is clear: Native American women (and those who identify or present as women) are extremely likely to be sexually assaulted or experience violence compared to other demographics, and are less likely to have crimes against them reported, investigated, charged, or adequately recorded. 

Why is MMIW Happening?

There are a few reasons why the MMIW crisis has been called an ‘epidemic’ in the United States and a ‘genocide’ by the Canadian government. The problem began with the start of colonisation, when the first European settlers set out to ‘civilise’ the ‘New World’ (and enslave or murder all the perfectly civilised people already living there), but it has persisted until present day, over 500 years later.

There are no excuses, but a few reasons for MMIW:

• The media won’t give Indigenous issues enough attention: one 2018 study by the Urban Indian Health Institute found that 95% of MMIW cases were not covered by national or international news media.
• Foggy jurisdiction on reservations: often, it’s legally disputed whether tribal authorities, the police, or governmental bodies should investigate serious crimes, and tribal authorities often aren’t given the authority to properly punish crimes like murder or rape.
• ‘Man camps’ created by the fossil fuel industry: these are typically located on or near Native lands, and are commonly connected to an increase in the sexual assault, murder, and trafficking of Indigenous women.
• Lack of resources: there is no proper database for MMIW in the US or Canada, and a common excuse is that there is not enough funding for such a project, of such a scale. Couple this with the fact that Native women can be misclassified as Hispanic or Asian on everything from wanted posters to Jane Doe records, and you have a recipe for misinformation, disaster, and a seemingly invisible genocide that doesn’t properly show up on many databases or in statistical reports.

Why is MMIW important?

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere- that’s what Martin Luther King Jr said, and who are we to argue? There is no point in pretending to be an advanced, modern society if we continue to support the colonial measures put in place by our racist forefathers. There is no acceptable reason why First Nations women, girls, and gender non-conformists should continue to go missing at such an awful rate, and frankly, the amount of people asking the question ‘why is MMIW important?’ shows how much work there is left before we can find ourselves in a truly comfortable and equal society.

How many MMIW are there?

As mentioned above, when Indigenous women go missing or are murdered, it often goes unrecorded or is not properly investigated. While the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) maintain they treat Native peoples the same as any others who come to them with a missing family member, Indigenous organisations and families of victims have consistently complained that they are ignored, their loved ones’ plights often go uninvestigated for days or even weeks at a time- if they are ever properly looked into at all. 

To simplify the question, we’ll answer it in two parts:

How many MMIW are there in Canada?

While a 2014 report by the RCMP claimed the number was just over a thousand (looking at data dating from 1980 to present day), Native groups argued the number was closer to 4,000- and a 2018 governmental enquiry argued that the true numbers can likely never be known for sure, but, as of 2019, President Trudeau declared the crisis a genocide nonetheless. 

How many MMIW are there in the US?

In the United States, statistics for MMIW are even more worrying- because we don’t truly know them. A study by the Urban Indian Health Institute stated that murder was the third leading cause of death for Native women across America, and that there were roughly 5,712 cases of MMIWG reported in 2016- but only 116 of these were logged in the official Department of Justice Database. Not to mention the fact that research had been done on women living in urban areas, despite the fact that over 70% of Indigenous women in the United States live in urban areas.

What can I do for MMIW?

A popular answer to this question is ‘eat the rich’, but we don’t think they’d taste very nice, so here are some more productive alternatives:

MMIW Day

As of 2017, May 5th is the official day to remember and honour Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. This is a day to challenge the silence of authorities on the issue, whether it’s local law enforcement or politicians. Most of all, however, it’s a day to have conversations and spread awareness as far as you can for the crisis. Do what the media won’t: bring attention where it’s needed. 

Here are some ideas of how to respectfully acknowledge MMIW Awareness Day:

• Organise community runs, public art displays and performances, and conferences where people can be heard. 
• Make good art: produce songs, videos, and writing to raise awareness of the cause. I’ll also be putting together an anthology of all types of writing that you can submit to until May 30th, 2021 (message me on Instagram or Twitter if you’re interested, or leave a comment and I’ll get in touch with you!)
• Wear red, and make a point of telling people around you why you are wearing red. 
• Post a picture of you in red (or other useful information) on social media using the hashtag #MMIW, #MMIWG, or #MMIWG2S.
• Donate.

Donate to MMIW

While we will take a deeper dive into this in a later post, there are many good and reputable organisations you can donate to if you want to put your money where your mouth is when it comes to stopping the crisis of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women across North America.

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) 

Their mission is to end violence against Indigenous women, as well as give tribal authorities the power to hold perpetrators to account for their actions. Much of their work goes towards uplifting the voices of various grassroots advocates in tribal communities.

The NIWRC also provides technical assistance, educational resources, training, and have an active hand in policy development in support of tribes and advocates for Native rights.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada (NWAC)

The NWAC works throughout Canada to represent the political voice of girls, women, and gender diverse Native people, whether they are on or off reservation, hold a recognised ‘status’ or not. They also include Métis and Inuit people in their work. 

Their founding focus is to enhance and promote the economic, cultural, social, and political wellness of Indigenous women in Canada. Much of their work is aimed at legislative analysis and policy reforms to ensure equality for Native women, Two-Spirit, and LGBTQ+ people. The issues they work on are as diverse as the peoples they support: labour, business, employment, health, violence (both prevention and safety) justice, human rights, environmentalism, and international affairs.

Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women (CSVANW)

CSVANW is an advocacy group for Native women and children with a focus on breaking cycles of violence, which often span through generations of Indigenous families (though this is often not their fault, but the fault of residential schools breaking down family units over many years).

They advocate for better services, response, and community-led approaches to prevent sexual and domestic violence using strength-based community programming.

Conclusion

Now, it’s important to note that this is only the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, as well as Native rights in general, there’s a lot to unpack (500+ years of it, in fact). So, make sure this article isn’t the last you hear about the MMIW movement. Engage in conversations with those around you, spread the word, and do what you can to not only spread awareness, but incite real change for the better.