Amnesty International to Testify at Senate Oversight Hearing

Amnesty International USA Press Statement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, July 14, 2011

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA WELCOMES SENATE OVERSIGHT HEARING ON PROTECTING NATIVE AMERICAN AND ALASKA NATIVE WOMEN
----
The U.S. Congress must prioritize ending sexual violence
against Native women, says Amnesty International

Contact: Wende Gozan Brown at 212-633-4247 , wgozan@aiusa.org.

(Washington, D.C.) Today, in advance of the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs hearing on protecting Native women, Professor Sarah Deer, Native women’s advocate and member of Amnesty International USA’s Native American and Alaska Native Advisory Council, released the following statement:

“The historical discrimination and ongoing economic, social, and cultural abuses that Indigenous peoples in the United States experience have resulted in shocking levels of violence against Native women. This hearing will bring us one step closer to addressing and rectifying the legacy of abuses perpetrated against Indigenous peoples and ensure our rights are respected.

“Amnesty International is heartened by the passage of the Tribal Law and Order Act of 2010 and the U.S. endorsement of the U.N. Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, both of which are long-overdue steps in the right direction. Still, one in three American Indian and Alaska Native women will be raped in her lifetime. Chairman Danial Akaka (D-HI) has demonstrated leadership and commitment to protecting women in our community. Today’s hearing will be a small step to begin healing the wounds of the past and building a safer and stronger future for Indigenous communities.”

Amnesty International is a Nobel Peace Prize-winning grassroots activist organization with more than 2.8 million supporters, activists and volunteers who campaign for universal human rights from more than 150 countries. The organization investigates and exposes abuses, educates and mobilizes the public, and works to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth and dignity are denied.