Domestic Violence And Native American Women

Thursday, January 4th 2007, 9:59 am

By: News On 6

Good news in the fight against domestic violence, a recent government study found partner abuse rates fell by more than half since the early 1990â€™s. But the numbers aren't looking up for everyone.

The US Justice Department study says Native American rates haven't dropped. In fact, American Indian women are three times more likely to become victims of domestic violence.

News on 6 reporter Heather Lewin has one woman's story.

â€œIt was just one little hit at the first then it progressively got worse. He would beat me just until he got one good hit, then he'd be okay, he'd stop, but the last time he wasn't stopping at all." She says he didn't stop until police dragged him away, leaving her black and blue with a broken eye socket.

After months of abuse, she says she finally realized it wasn't her fault and that gave her the strength to leave. "Every other time he'd been able to convince me in some manner that it was my fault that he was mad."

This former victim is not alone and as a Native American she's part of the group most at risk. Dianne Hughes: "The Native Americans that are involved in these statistics we see are in a multi-generational cycle of domestic violence and abuse."

Hughes says about 90-percent of the women she sees here are in some type of abusive relationship and many don't even realize it." Hughes says that's because for many of the women she treats, abuse has become the norm. "We see that they have very poor role models, there is absolutely no positive reinforcement, we also see that education is not a priority."

Higher rates drug, alcohol abuse and poverty may be to blame. This woman says all were part of her history of violent relationships. Some health professionals believe it may be tied to a history that dates farther back. Dianne Hughes: "Native Americans have this internal oppression of history, of what's been going on, in a treatment that's gone on for generations and now it's self-imposed on them, not being worthy, not mattering, low self-esteem."

Victim: "If they have ever laid a hand on you, leave, cause it's not going to get better, it's only gonna get worse."

The victim tells the News on 6, despite encouraging other victims she meets to leave, she says they just won't until it gets bad enough. Unfortunately, sometimes that's too late.

If you need help, call 911 or the 24-hour shelter hotline at 743-5763.