Report: American Indian women face higher rate of sexual violence

American Indian women are more than twice as likely as other U.S. women to be raped, and the suspects often go free because of confusing police jurisdictions and a lack of nurses, Amnesty International reports.

The human rights group said Tuesday that at least one in three American Indian women will be raped or sexually assaulted, compared with fewer than one in five U.S. women overall.

Confusion about whether state, federal or tribal police should respond means victims might not see a police officer or a nurse for hours or days, if at all. Even if a rape victim is taken to an Indian Health Service clinic, almost half lack staff trained to provide emergency services to victims of sexual violence, researchers said.

Amnesty International used sexual violence statistics from a Justice Department survey. The group focused on three locations: Alaska, Oklahoma and the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation in North and South Dakota.

The report indicated at least 86 percent of the reported rapes or sexual assaults of American Indian women are by men who are not American Indian.

Although The Sun was unable to confirm if local figures are available by press time, a spokeswoman for the Cocopah Tribe said that Amnesty's findings don't necessarily give an accurate reflection of the rape issue in Southern Arizona.

"It is misleading to take a limited study and information based on statistics generated in areas hundreds of miles away and paint all tribes with these negative perceptions, particularly at a local level," said Liz Pratt, Cocopah public relations representative. "Acts of sexual violence and the need for resources available to victims are issues that affect all races and cultures."

Pratt added that rapes are investigated by the Cocopah Police Department, which refers victims to additional services on and off the reservation.

"The Cocopah Indian Tribe has a dedicated police department that works to safeguard the community and maintain the safety on the reservation," Pratt said.

The police chief and head of Family Services for the local Quechan Tribe were not available for comment Tuesday afternoon.

At a news conference Tuesday, Larry Cox, executive director of Amnesty International USA, said the group will press Congress to increase funding for the Violence Against Women Act, which sets aside money for tribal violence prevention programs. Members also will push for money for more sexual assault nurse examiners at tribal clinics.

State, tribal or federal police might be responsible for investigating, depending on the seriousness of the crime and whether the perpetrator is American Indian.

The maze of law enforcement jurisdictions on reservations has created ''areas of effective lawlessness, which encourages violence,'' according to the report.

During Tuesday's news conference, Renee Brewer, a domestic violence worker from Oklahoma, said rape victims sometimes must wait for help while tribal and local police hammer out who should respond to the crime.

''Imagine having to tell your story multiple times to authorities in multiple systems that may or may not be working in collaboration,'' Brewer said.

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Sun staff writer Darin Fenger contributed to this report. Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.