Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul launched a new task force to help fight the abduction, homicide, violence, and trafficking of Native women in the state. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women (MMIW) Task Force will examine contributing factors to the crimes and focus on understanding the roles of federal, state, and tribal jurisdictions. The task force will also improve and implement data collection and reporting methods.
“The problem of violence against women and children and the disproportionate impact on Native women and communities is the responsibility of all of society to address,” said Kristin Welch, Menikanaehkem Women’s Leadership Cohort-MMIW Coordinator. “For meaningful long-term reform, we must look to solutions that are Indigenous-led while addressing both historical acts of violence against Indigenous women as well as those that still exist today within modern institutions.”