Tribal representatives from across the United States joined federal, state, and local leaders in Santa Ana Pueblo, New Mexico, on March 9-11 for the first National Symposium on Child Protection in Indian Country. The symposium included breakout sessions that specifically targeted the unique challenges in Indian Country, including runaway and at-risk children, online exploitation of children, Indian Country Child Protection Teams, new Tribal community approaches to addressing child abuse, substance abuse, and related crimes against children.
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention sponsored and funded the symposium. Organizers invited Tribal leaders, law enforcement representatives, and child protection professionals to create a multiagency approach to protect Native American children from victimization and exploitation.