Break the Pattern - Envision Change - Empower Hope Kaw Mission Statement for Domestic Violence
• Our mission is to improve the prevention, response, assessment and treatment modalities for Native American women and their immediate family members who are victimized by domestic violence and sexual assault. • To restore safety and integrity to the victim and their immediate family members. • We are committed in helping stop the cycle of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault in Native American Families. • To provide education and prevention information to the victims and their immediate family members. • To promote the safety and well being of everyone involved. Purpose of Domestic Violence
I. Establish a program that will assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault by providing intervention and support services. II. Develop a coordinated community response team through collaboration of non-profit victim services to create domestic violence protocols and policies. III. Develop response policies and procedures that address domestic violence and sexual assault. IV. Provide training to tribal law enforcement, court system, non-profit victim services and educators. V. Conduct community presentations and a public education campaign. Victim Eligibility
Services for The Domestic Violence Program are provided and only eligible to victims who provide proof of Native American Status by presenting their Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood (CDIB) or tribal affiliation card to the Coordinator of the Program at the initial meeting. The Domestic Violence Program Services are not restricted to Kaw Tribal Members, but are available to any member of a federally recognized Indian Tribe. When a victims CDIB card is in their maiden name a copy of their Social Security Card, Drivers License, State Issued ID, or Marriage Certificate will be needed for the verification of the name change. Please be advised the services provided by the Domestic Violence Program of The Kaw Nation are free of charge to eligible persons. Location Kaw Nation Domestic Violence Program400 East Central, Suite 306 Ponca City, OK 74601 Desiree’ Heskett B.S., M.C.P., DirectorPhone: 580-762-4477 Fax: 580-762-4170After Hours 580-399-7191 Sallie Williams -D.V. AdvocatePhone: 580-362-1039 ext. 216Fax: 580-362-3918 Office Hours: 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. After hour emergencies, please call 580-399-7191. To find help near you, contact the Domestic Violence Program of North Central Oklahoma 580-762-2873 or 580-76ABUSE. Our trained advocates are ready to help 24-hours a day.
Abuse usually gets worse the longer you stay; it can affect your emotional well being, and have an effect on family dynamics. As Program Director, I can:  Privately meet with you.
Find a safe place for you to stay if needed, and provide counseling. Keep documentation confidential and private, including any injuries, which (includes photos). Listen, if you need someone to talk with. Refer you for legal services, and help with protective order filing. Refer other services if needed. Our Domestic Violence Program for the Kaw Nation is currently a Specialized Program. Specialized Programs are required to provide information and referrals, counseling advocacy, and referrals to shelter services. Memorandums of understanding with shelter services must be in the local service area of the Kaw Nation. Specialized Programs do not provide emergency shelter for survivors. Their primary purpose is the provision of specialized but limited domestic violence services. Please refer to the below list for specifics.  We do not provide direct assistance to the victims and their family members.
No cash is allowed on the premises.No cash will be given to the victims and/or their family members for hotel/motel stay.Referrals will be made to the Domestic Violence Shelter of Northern Oklahoma for shelter stay for victims and/or children. The length of stay for each victim will be varied due to the current situation. That determination of the length of stay will be determined by the staff of the Domestic Violence Shelter of Northern Oklahoma.We provide referrals to Peachtree Landing for educational purposes.We provide referrals for individual and group counseling for the victims and their children. Meet the individuals listed below that provide protection for you and all Kaw tribal land. Statistical Information Regarding Native American Women “Violence against Indian women occurs as a gauntlet in the lives of Indian women: at one end verbal abuse and at the other murder. Most Indian women do not report such crimes because of the belief that nothing will be done.”Juana Majel, National Congress of American Indians, and Karen Artichoker, Cangleska, Inc.-Sacred Circle6 Over the past decade, federal government studies have consistently shown that American Indian and Alaska Native women experience much higher levels of sexual violence than other women in the USA. Data gathered by the US Department of Justice indicates that Native American and Alaska Native women are more than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than women in the USA in general. A recent study by the US Department of Justice on violence against women concluded that 34.1 per cent of American Indian and Alaska Native women – or more than one in three – will be raped during their lifetime; the comparable figure for the USA as a whole is less than one in five. Shocking as these statistics are, it is widely believed that they do not accurately portray the extent of sexual violence against Native American and Alaska Native women. The long history of abuse cannot be erased, but Indigenous women all over the USA are working with determination and hope for a future where their right to dignity and security is respected. Drawing on their work and experience, this report concludes with a series of recommendations calling on the authorities to fulfill their obligation to investigate, prosecute and punish those responsible for domestic violence and sexual assault and to promote the fundamental rights of Indigenous women. Information obtained from The Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Office of Law Enforcement Services; the Federal Bureau of Investigations’ Indian Country Unit; the US Department of Justice’s Office of Tribal Justice; the Executive Office of US Attorneys (federal prosecutors); the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Liaison (which sets policy and protocol for US Attorneys in prosecuting crimes in Indian Country); the US Department of Justice’s Office on Violence Against Women; and the Indian Health Service. 2007 This program will not be taking clients until July 2011; however we are currently taking all calls for information, and resource purposes. |
This project was supported by Grant 2009-EG-S6-0018 awarded to The Kaw Nation by the Office on Violence against Women, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this publication/program/exhibition are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of Justice, Office on Violence against Women. |
