Resolution Backs May 5, 2025, as National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, Calls for Updated Stats

This resolution throws its official support behind designating May 5, 2025, as the "National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls." It's a move aimed at shining a national spotlight on a devastating and ongoing crisis, urging us all to remember the lives lost and support the families left behind. The resolution also formally recommends that the Department of Justice's National Institute of Justice get to work on a new study to update the grim statistics on this issue, noting the last major figures are from 2016.

The Sobering Numbers Behind the Day

The resolution doesn't mince words about why this awareness day is critical. It lays out some hard-hitting statistics: a 2016 study found that over four out of five American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced violence. For many, this violence is intimate and severe, with 56.1 percent of these cases involving sexual violence and 55 percent stemming from intimate partner violence. The resolution also points to 2017 data showing homicide as the sixth-leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls under 44, with murder rates more than ten times the national average. Beyond these tragic deaths, the resolution notes around 1,500 American Indian and Alaska Native missing persons are in the National Crime Information Center, and about 2,700 cases of murder or nonnegligent homicide involving these victims have been reported to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reporting Program. The crisis extends to Native Hawaiians too, with a 2020 study in Hawaii finding that 64 percent of human trafficking victims identified as at least partly Native Hawaiian. This day of awareness aims to bring these realities out of the shadows.

More Than a Date: A Call for Remembrance and Action

Designating May 5th isn't just about marking a calendar; it's a call for meaningful public engagement. The resolution encourages everyone, from individuals to interested groups, to actively remember the lives of missing and murdered American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women and to show tangible support for their families. It also acknowledges a tough reality: current funding is falling short of what's needed to help victims and support Tribal governments in distributing resources. While a day of awareness doesn't directly unlock new funds, it can build public and political will, which is often the first step toward change. By focusing national attention, the goal is to foster a greater understanding of the crisis and, hopefully, spur further action to address these systemic issues and resource gaps.

Building on Efforts, Demanding Fresh Data

This resolution doesn't stand alone; it recognizes a series of past federal actions aimed at tackling this crisis. It references the 2019 launch of Operation Lady Justice (Executive Order 13898), which set up a task force to improve the justice system's response; the 2020 Savanna's Act, designed to improve data collection and agency coordination; the 2020 Not Invisible Act, which established a commission to recommend ways to combat violent crime against Indigenous peoples; and the 2021 creation of a Missing and Murdered Unit within the Department of the Interior. By supporting this Day of Awareness and, crucially, by recommending a new Justice Department study to update the 2016 statistics, the resolution aims to keep the momentum going. Fresh data is vital for understanding the current scale of the problem, shaping effective policies, and ensuring that efforts to protect Indigenous women and girls are based on the most accurate information available.