Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR)

The alarming rates of abduction and murder of Native women represent one of the most devastating issues facing Tribal communities. On some reservations, Native women face murder rates more than ten times the national average. These disappearances and murders are often directly linked to domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, sex trafficking, and longstanding harms impacting Indigenous communities.

 

Grassroots movements have grown at the local, regional, national, and international levels to honor lives lost and work toward lasting safety and justice for all missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives.

The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center (NIWRC) invites you to join the 2026 National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives (MMIWR), taking place May 4-8,. This annual campaign centers on families' voices, uplifts community-led efforts, and calls the nation to honor the lives of MMIWR through awareness, solidarity, and action. 

Resources for the 2026 National Week of Action will be available soon. Check here for updates!

In 2017, the Montana Congressional Delegation secured the passage of a Senate resolution declaring May 5th as the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives. This resolution was a direct response to the demands for justice following the 2013 murder of Hanna Harris on the Northern Cheyenne Reservation. Due to an inadequate law enforcement response, Hanna’s family and friends were forced to conduct their own search. Their relentless pursuit of justice sparked community-led marches and advocacy efforts, not only for Hanna but for the countless cases that remain unresolved. Since 2017, the national movement to end violence against Indigenous women has continued to elevate May 5th as a day of remembrance, action, and advocacy.

 

However, raising public awareness alone is not enough—action and accountability are necessary to address the crisis of MMIWR. The National Day of Awareness calls for:

  • Honoring the lives of our missing and murdered relatives.
  • Shedding light on the countless tragedies impacting Native women and communities.
  • Highlighting the need for ongoing grassroots advocacy and organizing for change of laws, policies, protocols, and allocation of increased resources at the Tribal, federal, and state levels to end these injustices.
  • Sharing information needed to understand and drive legal reforms and change.

Since 2021, NIWRC has joined the National Workgroup on MMIW, the MMIW Family Advisory Workgroup, and partners across Indian Country in organizing the National Week of Action for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives — a time to stand together, honor our missing and murdered relatives, and demand justice. The Week of Action grew from decades of grassroots organizing by Native families and advocates working to raise awareness, push for stronger protections, and hold governments accountable. Since its creation, the Week of Action has helped drive national awareness of this crisis, support the passage of critical legislation, elevate family voices, and strengthen advocacy efforts across Indian Country. Today, it stands as a national call to action to end the violence and restore safety for our communities.

 

To learn more, visit our National Week of Action Archives:

  • Murder is the third leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
  • American Indian and Alaska Native women experience a murder rate 10 times higher than the national average.
  • More than four in five American Indian and Alaska Native women (84.3%) have experienced violence in their lifetime.
  • 56.1% have experienced sexual violence, 55.5% have experienced physical violence by an intimate partner, and 48.8% have experienced stalking, according to the National Institute of Justice.
  • 64% of trafficking survivors in Hawaii identified as being part Native Hawaiian, according to Hawaii State Commission on the Status of Women reports.

To further our collective work to strategically advance the movement for the safety of Native women and justice for MMIWR, we must center the voices of those directly impacted. In partnership with surviving family members, NIWRC’s MMIW Family Advisory Workgroup works to honor their loved ones, uplift their truths and experiences, and provide recommendations to strengthen Tribal, state, and federal responses to violence.

 

Learn about our Family Advisors