Missing and Murdered Indian Men: Why Aren’t We Talking About It?

These are the facts about missing and murdered Indian persons:

  1. 53% of missing American Indians are boys and men, according to the Department of Justice NamUs database, as of the end of 2022.
  2. 75% of all Indian homicide victims are male, according to the Centers for Disease Control,
  3. Nearly identical percentages of male and female Native Americans have experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetimes: 81.6% of males and 84.3% of females, according to the Department of Justice (Page 2).
  4. More male Native Americans have experienced psychological aggression by an intimate partner in their lifetimes: 73% of males and 66% of females.

Unfortunately, the PBS show, “Bring Her Home” ignores the reality of Indian men who are missing, murdered, and abused. Bring Her Home leads the viewer to believe that most missing women are victims of foul play by male perpetrators. But the vast majority of missing persons are classified as “runaways,” meaning the person left the home on their own accord. And less than one percent of missing persons — 0.1% — are abducted by a stranger, according to the DOJ National Crime Information Center.

By skirting key facts, creating false stereotypes, and preying on viewers’ emotions, Bring Her Home does a disservice to Native American communities that are searching for practical and effective solutions to the crisis of missing and murdered Indians. Several editorials have criticized how Bring Her Home distorts the facts:

  • SAVE: PBS’ ‘Bring Her Home’ Betrays the Truth, Ignores Missing and Murdered Indian Men
  • Intellectual Conservative: PBS’s “Bring Her Home” Ignores Male Victims in Mishmash of the Truth
  • Men Are Talking: Bring Her Home Reveals Feminist True Agenda

A growing number of articles and editorials call for an inclusive approach represented by the MMIP — Missing and Murdered Indian Persons — movement:

  1. Toronto Star: ‘Why aren’t we talking about it?’ The forgotten cause of missing Indigenous men and boys
  2. Warrior Publications: Is it time we start talking about our murdered and missing indigenous men?
  3. Indian Country Today: Are missing and murdered Indigenous men being ignored?
  4. Voice of America News: Are Indigenous Men in US Being Ignored?
  5. Santa Fe New Mexican: State Can Raise Awareness of Missing Indigenous People
  6. Equality for Boys and Men: KING 5 News takes new gender-inclusive approach to coverage of victimized Indigenous people
  7. APTN National News: Should Missing and Murdered Indigenous Men and Boys be Included in the National Debate?
  8. Tack 71: Testimony to the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Reform
  9. American Thinker: House Hearing Erases Existence of Missing Indian Men
  10. Mises Wire: VAWA Balkanizes Rights, Cynically Erasing Male Indians

Most States Recognize the MMIP Approach

The federal Bureau of Indian Affairs has endorsed the sex-inclusive MMIP approach, as well as most states working to address this issue (as of March 2022):

  1. Alaska
  2. Arizona
  3. Colorado
  4. Idaho
  5. Kansas
  6. Montana
  7. Nebraska
  8. New Mexico
  9. North Carolina
  10. North Dakota
  11. Oklahoma
  12. South Dakota
  13. Utah
  14. Washington State
  15. Wyoming

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