President Trump's executive order could help fight domestic violence, sex assault in Alaska

After decades of suffering from domestic abuse and sexual violence, Native American women might finally be on the brink of getting the help they desperately need.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday morning aimed at solving the cases of missing and murdered American Indians and Alaska natives. The effort, called Operation Lady Justice, establishes a task force that will, according to the White House, “engage with tribal communities on the scope of the issue; develop protocols to apply to new and unsolved cases; establish a multi-disciplinary, multi-jurisdictional team to review cold cases; establish greater clarity of roles, authorities and jurisdictions involved in these cases.”

“We will leverage every resource we have to bring safety to our tribal communities, and we will not waver in this mission,” Trump said from the Oval Office. “We’re taking this very seriously. This has never been done before. And I’ve seen it, just by reading and watching the news – it’s a very serious problem. It’s a horrible problem.”

Missing and murdered indigenous women and girls has been an epidemic across the country for decades that has gotten major media attention in recent years, especially in Alaska, one of the most dangerous states for women in the U.S.

Nearly 60% of women in Alaska have experienced intimate partner violence, sexual violence or both. Rape in Alaska is 2.5 times the national average. The problem is particularly bad in native villages in rural Alaska, most of which are staggeringly remote and do not have consistent access to law enforcement.

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Earlier this year, USA TODAY explored why Alaska is such a deadly state for women, spending extensive time with the family of a woman who is missing and presumed dead. Three years ago, Linda Skeek, a member of the Tlingit tribe, vanished in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city. Two weeks after her disappearance, Anchorage prosecutors charged her husband, Thomas Skeek, with murder. In March, a jury acquitted Thomas Skeek. Meanwhile, Linda Skeek’s family continues to search for answers.

Shortly after USA TODAY’s Alaska series published in June, Attorney General William Barr declared a law enforcement emergency in rural Alaska and pledged $10.5 million in federal funds to the state to help combat the crisis. Barr had visited the state in May. Months later, in mid-October, Barr announced an additional $42 million grant also focused on public safety.

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Elizabeth Williams is an Anchorage-based activist who runs No More Free Passes, a group advocating for strengthening sentences for crimes of domestic violence and sexual violence. She sees the task force and recent funding as the beginning of a possible solution.

Williams called Barr’s visit to Alaska “transformational,” saying it’s nearly impossible to understand the unique challenges posed by Alaska’s geography until you see the state in person. And she’s happy a problem that has plagued the state for decades is finally getting national attention. But she warns that these actions alone – funding and the task force creation – won’t solve Alaska’s problems.

“I think this is really positive, but I do wonder where the money is specifically going to go,” Williams said. “I’m always a little leery of the idea of ‘prevention,’ because while we are all beating the drum of villages not having enough law enforcement or police officers – and that’s obviously true – what we really need is a robust court system that takes violence against women seriously.

“You can have the best law enforcement officers in the world, but if they make arrests and then those people – especially abusive men – get super-light sentences, they’re going to be right back in the villages causing trouble again.”

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has championed this issue for years and co-wrote two bills aimed at addressing missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. The first, The Savanna Act, was named after Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind, who was abducted and killed in Fargo, North Dakota, in 2017. It would increase “data collection and information sharing and empower tribal governments with access to law enforcement databases they need in cases involving missing and murdered indigenous women and girls,” according to Murkowski’s website.

In a press release, Murkowski pointed to the fact that Alaska lacks a uniform 911 emergency call system, which makes accessing law enforcement resources that much harder for residents in remote villages. The bill was originally introduced by former U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota with Murkowski as a co-sponsor.

The second bill, known as the Not Invisible Act, “engages law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal partners and service providers and improves coordination across federal agencies.”

Murkowski was not immediately available for comment.

'Lives depend on it.' AG William Barr declares public safety 'emergency' in Alaska

The Urban Indian Health Institute, a division of the Seattle Indian Health Board, tracks missing and murdered cases around the world. According to a study the community health center published in February, there are 506 cases of missing and/or murdered indigenous women and girls from 71 cities across 29 states. Fifty-two of those unsolved cases are in Alaska. Victims ranged in age from less than 1 year old to 83. The report also says murder is the third-leading cause of death among Alaska Native and American Indian women and girls ages 10 through 24.

Abigail Echo-Hawk, chief research officer of the Seattle Indian Health Board, said the report's numbers are likely a gross undercount because of historical systemic racism. Still, she knows the power of numbers.

"The government is really focused on making data-driven decisions," Echo-Hawk said. "Now we have that. It's the perfect storm: We have data, we have Native American representation in Congress, we have strong advocates like Lisa Murkowski who are pushing for true justice."

She has concerns, however. Echo-Hawk pointed out that in the executive order wording there's a noticeable lack of emphasis placed on urban natives, who account for 71% of the Indian population. It's a misconception, she said, to think indigenous women and girls are only at risk in remote areas.

"Unless we have a very specific focus on the urban population, we are going to continue to see this crisis in cities," Echo-Hawk warned.

In Alaska, other advocates have worries of their own, even if they acknowledge that the executive order is positive.

Native Peoples Action is an Anchorage-based, statewide organization dedicated to advocacy on the behalf of the Indigenous community. Executive Director Kendra Kloster said she is happy about the funding and the formation of a task force – but she wants more.

"I'm glad Barr saw a need and is putting funding toward, but I want to know what's going to happen afterward," she said. "I've seen a lot of reports but then no action. Up here, we need action."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: President Trump, Attorney General Barr vow to help Alaska Native women