- October 12, 2020
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President Trump Signed the Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act
Listen to this articleUS President Donald Trump signed the Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act. The signing took place on Saturday and it will help to address the missing and murdered Indigenous women epidemic that continues across the United States. The President of Navajo Nation, Jonathan Nez, and Vice President Myron Lizer admired the signing of the Savanna’s Act and the Not Invisible Act into law. Point to be noted that the murder rate among Indigenous women is 10 percent higher than the national average. It clearly indicated that 84% experience violence in their lifetime. The Savanna’s Act creates new guidelines among other provisions for responding to cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and creates incentives for its implementation.
It is noteworthy that the Not Invisible Act creates an advisory committee on violent crime. It includes tribal leaders, law enforcement, service providers, federal partners, and survivors. The committee will be tasked with issuing recommendations to the U.S Department of the Interior and the Department of Justice. Savanna’s Act is named in honor of a member of the Spirit Lake Tribe, Savanna LaFontaine-Greywind. She was reportedly found missing from her apartment in Fargo, North Dakota and she was 8 months pregnant at the time. Her dead body was discovered after 8 days, wrapped in plastic in the Red River with her baby cut from the womb. The act authorizes best practices in conducting searches for missing persons on and off tribal land.
The act also authorizes establishing standards on the collection, reporting, and analysis of data and information on missing persons and unidentified human remains. It requires the culturally appropriate identification and handling of human remains identified as belonging to American Indians. It also gives guidance on which law enforcement agency is responsible for inputting information into databases that how agencies can improve response rates, and provide culturally appropriate victim services. The Savanna’s Act finally adds 2 new purpose areas to 2 existing grant programs administered by the US Justice Department. It allows grantees to use funds to implement policies, protocols, and training for law enforcement regarding cases of missing or murdered Native Americans.
