New Task Force: Researching violence, recovering responsibility

Domestic violence has become a very significant fact of life in American Indian communities. The establishment of the task force and research program about domestic violence toward American Indian women is a result of national activism by Native national organizations, tribal leaders and tribal community members.

There are some research reports about domestic violence in Indian country, but there is no systematic or reliable data for tribal communities. The recent report on domestic violence analyzed by Amnesty International was based on a mix of urban and reservation data, and does not provide systematic statistical support for understanding domestic violence incidences and actions within tribal communities.

More focused and systematic research needs to be conducted to gain a more complete understanding of the patterns of domestic violence within reservation communities. The need for greater attention and research on domestic violence against Native women is clear.

What kind of suggestions for research can be given? The task force and research program should be aware of the cultural, political and historical diversity of reservation communities. There is a tendency to reduce domestic violence in family or husband and wife relations, but some attention or consideration should be given to understanding the effects of poverty and political and cultural marginalization.

The research and literature on multiple generations of stress and trauma should be integrated into the research designs as a means of gaining some insight into the causes and conditions of domestic violence incidents and frequencies. The research should not strive only to establish frequencies of domestic violence, but also should make some conceptual and empirical progress for understanding the causes of domestic violence. Individuals must take responsibility for their actions; but the historical, cultural, political and psychological conditions of reservation communities will help provide some explanation for the frequency and incidences of domestic violence.

According to recent research, when reservation residents are asked, 'What are the most significant criminal justice issues in your communities?' they often respond that drug and alcohol abuse are the most difficult issues. In many cases, drug and alcohol abuse leads to domestic violence and child neglect, but not always. (See the recent report by the UCLA Native Nations Law and Policy Center.)

Much crime and violence in Indian country is committed when people are under the influence of drugs and alcohol. We need to understand why there is so much addiction in Indian country, and why addictions lead to crimes such as domestic violence.

A major puzzle for researchers and communities is that few Indian communities recount traditions of extensive domestic violence in their histories or cultures. So why is there so much domestic violence in contemporary times? Traditional tribal communities had ways for managing domestic violence situations.

Full article: http://www.indiancountry.com/content.cfm?id=1096418018