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- By Native News Online Staff
The Department of Justice (DOJ) this week launched a website to streamline information and resources related to open missing and murdered Indigenous persons cases.
The new page within the DOJ’s Tribal Justice and Safety website details the federal government’s increased efforts to address the disproportionately high rates of violence impacting Indigenous communities.
The website page allows visitors to quickly report or identify a missing person; view unsolved Indian Country cases: contact the office of tribal justice; and learn more about current initiatives and upcoming listening sessions.
Last year, President Biden issued a proclamation to declaring May 5, 2021 a day to “remember the Indigenous people who we have lost to murder and those who remain missing and commit to working with Tribal Nations to ensure any instance of a missing or murdered person is met with swift and effective action.”
Six months later, the President signed an executive order that calls for interagency cooperation in criminal justice and public safety systems addressing missing and murdered Indigenous peoples: the act directs the Departments of Justice, Interior, Health and Human Services, and Homeland Security to work together with tribes.
Simultaneously, the Department Justice launched the Steering Committee to Address the Crisis of Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, tasked with consultation with tribal leaders and stakeholders, with reviewing the Department’s current practices, and developing a comprehensive plan to strengthen the department’s work. That plan is slated to be submitted to the President in July 2022.
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