Advisory Committee of the Attorney General’s Task Force created in 2013 on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence released policy recommendations to the Justice Department this week. The report recommends a significant rebuilding of the current services provided to Indian Country, through increased partnering and coordination with tribes, and increased funding for programs to support American Indian and Alaska Native children.
Each of the five chapters discusses the Advisory Committee’s findings and recommendations. The report provides the Advisory Committee’s vision for the development of effective, trauma informed, and culturally appropriate programs and services to protect American Indian and Alaska Native children exposed to violence.
The Task Force is composed of a federal working group that includes U.S. Attorneys and officials from the Interior and Justice Departments and a federal advisory committee of experts on American Indian studies, child health and trauma, victim services and child welfare. Former U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan and Iroquois composer, singer and child advocate Joanne Shenandoah co-chaired the 13-member committee.
These recommendations are a culmination of the research and information gathered through four public hearings held between December 2013 and June 2014 in Bismarck, North Dakota; Scottsdale, Arizona; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and Anchorage, Alaska, and five listening sessions in Arizona, Minneapolis and Alaska where over 600 people participated from over 62 Tribes and 15 States from across the nation. More than 70 experts and 60 community members testified at the hearings, addressing domestic and community violence in Indian Country; the pathway from victimization to the juvenile justice system; the roles of juvenile courts, detention facilities and the child welfare system; gang violence; and child sex trafficking.
The Task Force on American Indian and Alaska Native Children Exposed to Violence is part of the Defending Childhood initiative. The task force is also a component of the Justice Department’s ongoing collaboration with leaders in American Indian and Alaska Native communities to improve public safety.