The U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report on Nov. 1 that examines federal response to the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women crisis. The report is a product of a bill Montana Sen. Jon Tester introduced in 2019 that commissioned the study.
The report, “MISSING OR MURDERED INDIGENOUS WOMEN: New Efforts Are Underway but Opportunities Exist to Improve the Federal Response,” concluded that while data on missing and murdered indigenous women is not entirely accounted for, two pieces of 2020 legislation present opportunities to improve and increase data collection.
However, the report says that government officials charged with certain tasks by the legislation, such as forming a joint commission, have failed to meet these requirements at this stage. The GOA further suggests solutions, like the development of longer-term plans for ongoing data analysis as well as public education.
The report is a product of legislation introduced by Montana Sen. Jon Tester in 2019 that commissioned the report from the GOA.
“We now have a better understanding not only of the challenges this crisis presents, but a clear path to set about fixing it.” Tester said in a news release.
