En juin 2007, nous vous proposions d’agir dans le cadre de la Campagne Halte aux violences sexuelles contre les femmes autochtones.
Cette campagne a donné des résultats. Le rapport publié par Amnesty sur ce sujet a été bien accueilli par la presse et a suscité une prise de conscience de la gravité et de l’ampleur du problème. Des membres du Congrès et du Sénat ont manifesté leur volonté de mettre sur pied un plan d’action pour remédier à cette situation. Il s’agit -entre autres- d’accorder un budget spécifique à ce sujet de préoccupation (création d’un programme de recherche, d’un bureau de « liaison », etc ...).
Nous continuons à demander un accroissement des ressources du Service de santé des Indiens (voir modèle de lettre n°1 ci-dessous) et nous nous adressons aussi à ce service de santé pour qu’il mette en place des formations pour le personnel destiné spécifiquement à l’examen des victimes d’agressions sexuelles, pour qu’il réclame des fonds supplémentaires pour les centres de santé gérés par la population indienne et pour que des pratiques communes concernant les examens médico-légaux soient adoptées et mises en œuvre dans tous les centres de santé (voir modèle de lettre n°2 ci-dessous).
U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services
Mr. Michael Leavitt
200 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20201
USA
Fax : 202 690 7203
Dear Secretary of Health and Human Services,
I am writing to you in relation to Amnesty International’s report "Maze of Injustice – The failure to protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA" undertaken in the context of its Stop Violence Against Women Campaign.
I am concerned to learn that, according to federal governmen reports, Native American and Alaska Native women are 2,5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the USA and one out of three of such women are likely to be raped in their lifetime. Most do not seek justice because they know they will be met with inaction or indifference. According to the report, this situation is due to the chronic under-resourcing of law enforcement and health services, confusion over jurisdiction, erosion of tribal authority, discrimination in law and practice, and indifference. Action should be taken to address all of these constraints.
I respectfully ask you to : pay attention to the claims made by the Indigenous women’s rights defenders and tribal authorities ; develop solutions with the full cooperation of Indigenous women defenders and tribal nations and implement them with the consent of tribal authorities.
I call on you to increase funding and resources for the Indian Health Service for tribes who administer their own health services.
I do hope that you will support this appeal and that you will do your upmost to improve the lot of Native American and Alaska Native women.
Yours sincerely,
Asst Surgeon General, Director
Indian Health Service (HQ)
Dr. Charles W. Grimm D.D.S.
The Reyes Building
801 Thompson Avenue, Ste. 400
Rockville, MD 20852-1627
USA
Fax : 301 443 4794
Email : charles.grim@ihs.hhs.gov
Dear Dr. Grimm
I am writing to you in relation to Amnesty International’s report "Maze of Injustice – The failure to protect Indigenous Women from Sexual Violence in the USA" undertaken in the context of its Stop Violence Against Women Campaign.
I am concerned to learn that, according to federal government reports, Native American and Alaska Native women are 2,5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the USA and one out of three of such women are likely to be raped in their lifetime. Most do not seek justice because they know they will be met with inaction or indifference. According to the report, this situation is due to the chronic under-resourcing of law enforcement and health services, confusion over jurisdiction, erosion of tribal authority, discrimination in law and practice, and indifference. Action should be taken to address all of these constraints.
A critical part of any police investigation into sexual violence involves the collection of forensic evidence including a sexual assault forensic examination. If such examinations are conducted by a trained and qualified professional, this will ensure the accurate, sensitive and confidential collection of physical or forensic evidence in cases of sexual violence.
In order to ensure a full investigation of crimes of sexual violence and for survivors of this violence to begin to heal from their experience, I call on you to press for an increase in funding and resources for the Indian Health Service (IHS) for tribes that administer their own health services.
I urge you to take all necessary steps to support IHS facilities as well as tribes administering their own health services to work with female Indigenous lawyers to ensure that the health services have :
locally relevant sexual assault response protocols or processes in place to support Native American and Alaska Native survivors of sexual violence.
personnel within their health services with appropriate training to conduct forensic sexual assault examinations.
I thank you in advance and I hope you will do everything necessary to improve the state of health of the whole population while taking concrete steps to decrease sexual violence and increase services for Indigenous women who are victims of rape.
Yours sincerely,