Dear Editor, this letter is based on upon my experiences volunteering with San Juan Catholic Charities and assisting with homeless female sexually assaulted victims in San Juan County and McKinley County. At the beginning of my volunteering, I didn’t know what to expect. I was assigned as a Case-Manager for the Navajo homeless people, assisting and helping with legal issues and gathering local resources. Part of my job led me to three Navajo homeless females who were sexually assaulted and went to a Sexual Assault Nursing Examiner, (SANE) in Farmington. These Native American females have been turned away and labeled as typical “Drunken Indians”. In addition, many Navajo female victims refuse to get treatment with the SANE of NW in Farmington and this causes many crimes to go un-reported and perpetrators never prosecuted.
I have approached sexual assault cases and interpreted for elderly victims as their sexual assault advocate and support. I have learned to respond to victims of sexual assault in a non-judgmental and supportive manner, suggesting options and allowing victims to decide what course of action to take.
Because I was intrigued by sexual assault cases among members of the Navajo Nation I volunteered for two overnight stays at Harmony Safe House in Crownpoint, New Mexico. Based on my personal experience I was immediately exposed to raw emotions of sadness and remorse for three elderly Navajo women, ages ranged from 62 to 86 years old, who were the latest rape victims. I was immediately drawn to the one with the black eye. I felt remorse and utter sadness that seemed to overwhelm me. One of the victims was disabled, the other mentally disabled, and they all did not speak English. They were dressed in traditional style with pleated cotton skirts, mismatched long sleeve blouses and several strands of turquoise and silver jewelry. It was not hard to imagine as if one of them could be my mother or my grandmother. I introduced myself to them by saying hello and stating my four clans. I told them that my mother was born and raised in Chaco Canyon and that my father was from Bisti (45 miles south of Farmington). In the Navajo culture, Navajos introduce themselves by stating their maternal clan, paternal clan, maternal grandfather's clan, and paternal grandfather's clan. This helps one to identify themself to other of clan groups and it determines if they are related to one of the four clans. If a clan belongs to one of the clan subgroups then they refer to each other as if they were a clan sister, aunt, mother, grandmother, brother, uncle, father, or grandfather. It also helps to build immediate rapport and establish trust. One of the elderly victims opened up about her terrible ordeal. She stated that the perpetrator was a family member and that it was not the first time she had been violated. I could not help but feel the ugliness and feelings of shame for her because of the incest that took place. I could sympathize with her and fully understand how she was feeling because it brought back my own personal experience of such a terrible ordeal. It is common for victims to explain that their extended family refused to help them out and had no respect for them, and most of them had problems with alcohol and were undependable. There seemed to be an air of hopelessness because no one seemed to care for sexually assaulted victims. I could not comprehend how the younger generation would have no respect for their elderly mother, aunt, or grandmother. I was taught to respect and tend to the elderly, but to abuse an elderly was something beyond my understanding.
After interviewing victims, I felt as if they were being re-traumatized and re-victimized. It appeared as if no one seemed to care about them. No family member of the victims showed up during the time I was there. Also there was a lack of understanding from the advocates who were inexperienced in handling sexual assault cases. I also witnessed the "low-level of priority" status given to the sexual assault crimes by the Navajo Police. In addition, there was a lack of coordination efforts in how to handle a sexual assault case between tribal law officer, victim's advocate, and victim.
Another barrier was that there was not a reliable interpreter to help the non-English speaking victim. I felt helpless because I could not interfere with the investigation even though I could have easily acted as an interpreter. Hearing the victim recount the events of the crime and the sensitive nature of the subject made me feel remorse and profound sadness for the victims, knowing that these types of crimes are happening elsewhere on the reservation.
By researching, reading, and gaining basic understanding of important issues regarding sexual violence on the Navajo Reservation, I discovered that violent crimes on the Indian reservation have doubled when compared to the national average, particularly sexual assault cases. In addition, many of the victims never report the crime because the perpetrator is a family member or friend of the family. Many of the perpetrators are never prosecuted in court due to numerous reasons such as, mishandling of evidence, backlogging of cases because many are considered "low level" priority, over-crowding of jails, and jurisdictional issues. In addition, it is a time consuming process both for the victim and the justice system. Another component to this problem was alcoholism. If the tribal police suspected the victim and/or perpetrator were consuming alcohol at time of the crime, it was handled less seriously with low-level priority, and no follow ups were made on behalf of the victim's criminal complaint.
Furthermore, when a victim reports the assault there are few to no mental health services to help the victim begin the healing process. Currently, there are five crisis centers on the Navajo reservation that do not provide a full service of recovery for sexual assault victims. Many of these centers are considered safe havens for victims of domestic violence and shelters for homeless families. In addition, they provide short-term services.
For victims that do seek mental health services, they are put on a waiting list to see a qualified mental health therapist. In my research, I found that there is a scarcity of highly qualified therapists that specialize in helping sexual assault victims. Many of the therapists or psychologists lack cultural knowledge or cultural sensitivity to deal with traditional native patients. Another major problem for victims is that mental health services lack interpreters to help translate between the therapist and Navajo speaking patients. In addition, victims may lack transportation or money to get to their appointments. Victims of sexual assault face many obstacles that hinder the process of healing and overcoming the trauma of being victimized. No wonder they have no faith in the justice system and feel that they are re-victimized by society.
This experience has made me feel frustrated and that I need to do something to help the victims speak up and have their voices heard. The rural areas need and deserve the same attention and focus as urban areas. My investigation of sexual assault cases on the Navajo Reservation has led me to believe that we should re-educate our people. One suggestion is to have Rehabilitation and Treatment Programs include a lesson on the historical background of the multi-generational trauma that natives have endured at the hands of the majority culture. In addition, clients should reflect on their own family history and find proactive ways in dealing with their pain and suffering. Another suggestion is to educate the public about the growing epidemic of violence against Native American women and make the public aware of the lack of funding that is widespread across the reservation, which leads to inadequate levels of services such as, shelters in need of repair, no counseling services for sexual assault victims, and low priority status on most sexual assault cases within the justice system. Another suggestion is to address and educate men about historical context of sexual assault among Native American women. In addition, Indian health care providers, school official, tribal law official, chapter house official, and service providers need to create curriculum that includes what it means to be a masculine in ways that honor women, reflect healthy traditional community values, and how sexual violence has been condoned in rural community.
Volunteering with San Juan Catholic Charities and collaborating with Navajo homeless females sexually assaulted victim has helped me break the silence after 23 years of my terrible ordeal of sexual assault. Assisting elderly Navajo sexually assaulted victims was challenging because talking about my assault was difficult and awkward due to my cultural tradition and I have shared my stories with other victims. I believe all rape and sexually assaulted survivors are emotionally bonded together. We know the feeling of an aftermath of such a hideous crime. The effects of the trauma leaves one physically, emotionally, and mentally scarred. We feel shame, guilt, rage, confusion, denial, and embarrassment. It is important our voices can be heard and get the help we deserve, then society can help us to heal our mind, body and spirit.