Sexual Violence Against Native American Women Essay

Sexual violence can affect anyone. There is no end all be all strategy to avoid any and all sexual violence. However, studies have shown that some people are more likely to be affected by sexual violence than others. Typically, the people most likely to be at risk of sexual violence are people who are disenfranchised, in prison where a whole different cultural dynamic exists and people who can’t care for themselves. Just a few of these groups are Native American women, male prisoners, and children. Sexual violence against Native American women and girls is not a new issue. It has been happening since colonial times when British soldiers believed that Native women’s freedom in sexual expression made them impure and therefore gave them the right to

They can’t care for themselves completely because of their age and are easily pressured into silence, especially if the violence is perpetuated by a family member. In The Sum of My Parts, Olga Trujillo recounts her time spent with Dona Graciela and how her father quickly put that to an end when Dona questioned about the violence in Olga’s family. Olga remembers her father saying “Dona Graciela didn’t want me anymore, so I should stop listening for her” (19). Children in sexually violent houses are made to feel like they won’t be loved by anyone else and because of their young age they are easily manipulated to believe they aren’t. Olga also describes the prostitution that her parents put her thought. Olga recounts this time by saying, “giving me the reasonability for supporting my family, was powerful, and effective” (61). Olga didn’t want her family to be put on the streets because of her refusal to participate in what her parents wanted. This is a very sever example of sexual violence and children, but because of their lack of knowledge and inability to defend themselves, children are very susceptible to sexual