Native American women have the most formidable sexual assault statistics compared to American women. According to The United States Department of Justice Archives (2017) the legal definition of rape is, the “penetration” no matter how slight, of the vagina or anus with any body part or object, or oral penetration by a sex organ of another person without the consent of the victim. (Office of Attorney General , 2017) Out of 2,000 women 84% of Native American and Alaskan American women have experienced violence. 56% have experienced sexual violence. In that second group, over 90% experienced it from a non-tribal member. (Gilpln, 2016) Out of 1,000 rapes, 230 are reported. Forty-six are led to an arrest. Nine cases will be referred to prosecutors. Five cases will lead to a felony conviction. (Criminal Justice System Statistics, 2019).
The women who have been raped or a victim of sexual assault would commonly have, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), severe anxiety, depression, suicidal thoughts or attempts, dissociation, fear, trouble with menstrual cycle and fertility. (Victims of Sexual Violence: Statistics , 2019)
Leslie Ironroad moved to McLaughlin, North Dakota from Standing Rock Sioux Reservation. In 2003, she lived with her roommate Rhea Archambault. One night she went to a party and did not come home. The following morning, she called her roommate’s brother asking to get Rhea to come pick her up that some men were going to fight her. The brother asked where she was all he got as a response crying then an abrupt end of the call.
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When Rhea found her, she was at Bismarck M.D. Hospital. When asked what happened she told the roommate that she was raped and fought with and thrown in a restroom. She took diabetes medication hoping that if she was passed out no one would bother her. The next morning, she was found and taken to the hospital. The roommate called The Bureau of Indian Affairs; an officer arrived and had her take a statement. A week later, she died, and so did the case. Archambault claimed that Leslie named everyone who raped and beat her. Officials claimed there was no evidence to substantiate what had happened. (Sullivan, 2007)
One night, 34-year-old Justin Schneider drove an Alaskan Native woman down a dark road against her will. Threatened to choke her until she passed out and kill her. After threatening her, he then masturbated on her face. Brett Sarber wrote a criminal complaint. Victim “said she would not fight him off, he was too heavy and ad her down being choked to death”. “She said she lost consciousness, thinking she was going to die.” (Wang, 2018)
After Schneider was arrested at his job at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. He was charged with one count of felony kidnapping and three counts of assault, and with one misdemeanor count of harassment including “offensive contact with fluids”. Originally going to face between five and ninety-nine years in prison. He took a plea deal where he had to plead guilty to one count of second-degree felony assault to get the dismal of the other assault, kidnapping and harassment charge. He had to serve two years in prison with one year of suspension. He was under house arrest for one year and did not serve any other time. Judge Michael Corey told Schneider “This can never happen again.”
Schneider then said, “It has given me a year to really work on myself and become a better person and a better husband and father” regarding the house arrest. (Wang, 2018) The 25-year-old Native American victim was traumatized “to the point where she could hardly speak.” The district attorney said “I would like the gentleman to be on notice that this is his one pass…” This woman thought that the justice system would give her any kind of justice regarding the unhuman like crime that was committed to her. Just shows how corrupt the judges, district attorneys, the system in all. She sought out for help, for any sort of ease knowing that the man who committed these crimes to her was paying the price for it.
