It's #NativeAmericanHeritageMonth and today's fun fact is that after all the work Natives put into VAWA 2013 giving tribes jurisdiction to prosecute non-Natives who assault Natives on tribal lands, @SenJoniErnst introduced VAWA 2019 that would strip tribes of sovereignty.

Additionally, it would wave sovereign immunity and allow those non-Native perpetrators to sue tribal officials for the arrest and/or their prosecution. It would make it nearly impossible for Nations to implement restored tribal criminal jurisdiction.

So what does that mean?

Currently, there are over 5000 missing and/or murdered Indigenous womxn and girls. 96% of Native womxn have/will endure sexual violence in their lives. Native womxn are more likely to experience domestic violence than any other group.

Those perpetrators? Over 70% are non-Native.

With #VAWA2019 as it stands, we will be rolling back the protections to *before* 2013. More womxn will be assaulted. More womxn will be killed. And even more of those non-Native perpetrators will get away with it and walk free.

Call your senators and ask them to *NOT* move forward with this legislation *UNTIL* the tribal provisions are amended *AND* that those provisions *DO NOT* impede on tribal sovereignty and threaten the lives of Native womxn.

#VAWA2019
#SafetyForNativeWomen
#PassHR1585