AMBER Advocate Magazine

Issue 29

The National Tribal Child Protection Leadership Forum and Symposium, held in Scottsdale, Arizona, focuses on protecting missing Native American children and highlights the disproportionate violence faced by American Indian and Alaska Native youth—who experience exposure to violence more than any other minority group. Lynnette Grey Bull, Director of Not Our Native Daughters, emphasizes the widespread disbelief that sex trafficking occurs in Indian Country, which hinders efforts to address the issue. A study by Arizona State University reveals troubling patterns among trafficking victims: 60% have parents who were never married, 59% come from families with substance abuse issues, and 54% had run away. Tribal prosecutor Geri Wisner points out that most tribal codes lack laws addressing child sex abuse and trafficking, advocating for tribes to create culturally grounded legal frameworks. Survivor Jeri Jimenez shares her personal story and urges counselors and law enforcement not to give up on victims. A profile of U.S. prosecutor Janet Turnbull highlights her work in Mexico to improve coordination among AMBER Alert coordinators in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. A front-line story recounts a successful interstate AMBER Alert between Washington and South Dakota that leads to the safe recovery of two children, thanks to the quick actions of a trucker and a deputy. Another story revisits the murder of Casey Jo Pipestem, a Native American teen and trafficking victim, whose case is solved through a tip from America’s Most Wanted and a detective’s persistence.

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