Sec. 2. Findings

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A research copy — for the controlling text, always check the official state or federal source. Not legal advice.

Congress finds that— Native women face some of the highest levels of violence of any group; more than half of American Indian and Alaska Native women have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner in their lifetimes, and 90 percent of these women have experienced that violence at the hands of a non-Indian intimate partner; Indian tribes report that children are usually involved in domestic violence and dating violence incidents that occur on Indian lands, either as witnesses or as victims themselves;

American Indian children and Alaska Native children experience post-traumatic stress disorder (referred to in this Act as PTSD ) at much higher rates than non-Indian children; American Indian children and Alaska Native children experience PTSD at a rate of 22 percent, which is the same rate at which Afghanistan and Iraq war veterans experience PTSD; children in Indian country should be protected from violence; violence against children and crime associated with dating violence and domestic violence increase the number of instances of trauma in tribal communities, which— affects health outcomes; reduces educational attainment; hinders economic growth; and undermines public safety; the Uniform Crime Report of the Federal Bureau of Investigation shows that police officers, including tribal police officers, are assaulted when responding to disturbance calls more often than under any other circumstances;

Congress established the Indian Law and Order Commission to advise the Federal Government on how to improve criminal justice in Indian country; the Indian Law and Order Commission issued a report entitled A Roadmap for Making Native America Safer , which recommends the restoration of the inherent authority of tribal courts; and tribal communities should be able to protect themselves from dating violence, domestic violence, and child violence, and from violence committed against members of the tribal justice system.