At the recent closing of the three-day National Amerindian Women’s Conference, Jean La Rose, Program Administrator of the Amerindian People’s Association (APA), publicly denounced the increasing incidence of abuse against indigenous women. Lack of adequate counseling services and access to legal advice are cited as factors in the increase of abuses. According to La Rose, “Very often the offenses are committed by miners and the police are unwilling to prosecute either because they are friends with the accused or are getting [kickbacks].” Educational programs and increased support for women’s networks have been proposed to fight the trend.
