Earlier this year, President Joe Biden signed the Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act (VAWA), a law that protects thousands of women from domestic violence and abuse. The law is especially important for Indigenous women, who have some of the highest rates of domestic violence in the nation.Last summer's Supreme Court ruling in Castro-Huerta v. Oklahoma means abusers can face prosecutors in tribal, federal and now state court.
The US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Oklahoma hosted a “Day of Hope” Friday at Tulsa’s Promenade Mall.
The purpose was to pass safety and victim resources to the public. One organization in attendance was Coffee Bunker, a nonprofit advocating for veterans. Coffee Bunker Chaplain Greg Bilbruck said for him the event was about solidarity.
“We’re out here with the United States Attorney’s Office, the Sherriff’s Office, Muscogee Creek Nation. We’re here just to support victims and try to get justice for them,” said Bilbruck.
Veterans involved in the criminal justice system may be at a higher risk for suicide. Sexual assault is also an ongoing problem.
By Kristi Eaton
TULSA, Oklahoma, Jan 25 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) – For nearly two years, Aubrey Dameron, a citizen of the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma, has been missing. Last seen in March 2019, Dameron disappeared while leaving her mother’s rural home early in the morning.
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Her family has been following various leads, including draining a pond near her home, but is no closer to discovering what happened to Dameron, who was 25 when she disappeared, her aunt, Pam Smith, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.