Posted October 13, 2025 in Blog

Unseen Journeys: How the MMIWG Crisis Restricts Freedom of Movement and the Path to Walkable, Equitable Communities

To read the shorter version of this blog, click here.

By Misty Klann

Freedom of movement is simply the ability to go where one pleases. However, for many, this fundamental liberty is deeply constrained by complex societal factors. True walkability and accessibility in Indian Country requires an understanding of movement that extends far beyond physical infrastructure to address systemic barriers that deny certain populations such as Native American/Alaska Native (NA/AN) women and girls, the fundamental right to safe movement. The Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) crisis, represents a profound violation of freedom of movement, rooted in historical and ongoing injustices. This critical issue is not solely a concern for Native Nations; it is a shared responsibility deeply intertwined with the historical development of the United States. Transportation professionals share in this responsibility, and principles such as Vision Zero, a global movement to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries, can be applied to the MMIWG crisis. This reframes the issue from a series of individual acts of violence to a systemic approach where all deaths and injuries are considered unacceptable and preventable.

The Sacred Heart of Tribal Nations: The Enduring Strength of Native Women

Many Tribal Nations are matrilineal societies. Beyond the passage of material ownership down the line of women in a family, the presence and strength of the family and Nation depend profoundly on the women. In these societies, women are not merely caregivers. They are revered as leaders, decision-makers, healers, and keepers of knowledge essential for the community’s survival.1 Their contributions are integral to the overall well-being and prosperity of their people, with lineage, power, and respect flowing through the maternal line.1 Mothers, in particular, are often described as the “home” that holds the family together, serving as primary caregivers, vital role models, and leaders in the home.2 As observed by Father Joseph-Francois Lafitau, a French missionary and anthropologist, Native American women “really maintain the Tribe, the nobility of blood, the geological tree, the order of generations and conservation of families. In them resides all the real authority: the lands, the field, and all their harvest belong to them; they are the soul of councils, the arbiters of peace and war…”.1

This profound cultural significance is encapsulated in the Cheyenne Proverb: “A nation is not conquered until the hearts of its women are on the ground. Then it’s finished; no matter how brave its warriors or how strong their weapons”. Tribal communities are in a perpetual state of survival and women are indeed the lifeline from disappearance. Their strength, resilience, and unwavering endurance are a powerful presence. However, this strength comes with immense responsibility. Native women often carry historical trauma, adding their own life experiences due to these traumas. Despite being admired and honored, the role of a matriarch comes with a heavy burden. The expectation to be strong, to not show emotions, and to provide for family without respite and complaints, and keeping it all together, can lead to breaking points at a young age, perpetuating cycles of pain and trauma within Nations.

When violence disproportionately targets Native women and girls, it extends beyond individual criminal acts. Given their central role in lineage, knowledge transmission, and community cohesion, the disappearance or murder of Native women and girls constitutes a direct assault on the cultural, social, and spiritual fabric of entire Tribal Nations. This form of violence is not merely a series of isolated tragedies; it is a systemic effort to dismantle Native American communities by attacking their core, leading to a deeper form of cultural devastation and an existential threat. The National Inquiry into MMIWG in Canada, for example, explicitly concluded that this crisis constitutes an ongoing “race, identity and gender-based genocide”.3 This understanding reframes the MMIWG crisis from individual suffering to a direct assault on Native Nations’ sovereignty and cultural survival.

The very strength and resilience that have allowed Native women to sustain their communities through generations of trauma can paradoxically contribute to their vulnerability. The immense responsibilities and the pressure to maintain composure and to provide for their families can mask deep suffering and create barriers to seeking help. The expectations of a matriarch if not sustained in harmony can inadvertently lead to immense personal burden. Young girls, if not guided under a balanced environment, can be denied the critical period of experiencing childhood in their development, which is important for their emotional well-being and long-term health outcomes. This highlights a critical need for support systems that acknowledge and address this burden, moving beyond admiration of resilience to providing tangible, culturally sensitive resources for guidance, healing, and relief.

The Unrelenting Crisis: Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls

The reality for Native American women is grim: many perceive themselves as disposable targets simply by being Native women. Despite being the least represented in the overall population, they represent the highest demographic among the missing and murdered. Native American women are more than twice as likely to experience violence as any other demographic in the U.S.4 The murder rate for Native women is ten times higher than the national average on some reservations, and murder is the third leading cause of death for Native women overall.5 While Native people constitute only about 2% of the U.S. population5, their representation in missing and murdered cases is alarmingly disproportionate. Victims span a wide age range, from babies less than one year old to individuals as old as 83 years.5

A significant challenge in addressing this crisis is the profound lack of accurate data. The number of missing and murdered Native American women and girls cannot be accurately determined due to major issues in data collection across state, local, Tribal, and federal law enforcement agencies.6 For instance, in 2016, the National Crime Information Center reported 5,712 missing American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls, yet the U.S. Department of Justice’s federal missing person database, NamUs, only logged a mere 116 cases.5 This massive discrepancy underscores a systemic failure. Factors contributing to this poor data quality include underreporting, racial misclassification (where Native American/American Indian or Alaska Native individuals are misidentified on death certificates and law enforcement records), poor relationships between law enforcement and Native communities, inadequate record-keeping protocols, and institutional racism in the media.7 Fewer than half of all incidents of violence against NA/AN women are even reported.8

This vast disparity in data is not merely a statistical issue; it represents a profound form of systemic invisibility and injustice. The failure to accurately acknowledge and track these cases effectively renders NA/AN women and girls invisible within official systems. This lack of attention from authorities, lawmakers, and the general public is deeply problematic.9 When cases are not properly recorded or investigated, perpetrators often face “little, if any, consequences for their actions” 10, creating a cycle of impunity that further endangers NA/AN women. This institutional invisibility directly hinders justice, prevents accurate resource allocation, and perpetuates the crisis. Consequently, efforts to create “walkable, equitable, connected, and accessible places” cannot be truly effective if the very people most at risk are not even accurately counted or recognized within the systems designed to protect them.

A Legacy of Dispossession: Colonialism and Systemic Barriers

The dehumanization of Native women is not an isolated phenomenon within Native Nations; it is a historic, multi-faceted, and generationally deep-rooted issue inextricably linked to the very making of the United States. The MMIWG crisis is a direct consequence of five centuries of U.S. colonial Indian law and policies.10 This historical trajectory systematically diminished Indian Nations’ inherent authority, thereby creating the social conditions that allowed violence against Native women to reach its current devastating breadth and depth.10 The fundamental shift from international diplomacy, where Indian Tribes were recognized as full sovereigns, to federal colonialism, actively undermined the right of Indian Nations to self-government and their inherent authority to protect their women.10

Harmful federal statutes, such as the General Crimes Act of 1817, the Major Crimes Act of 1885, and Public Law 280 enacted during the Termination Era, further exacerbated this erosion of Tribal sovereignty. These laws, often misinterpreted, divested Tribes of authority over crimes on their lands and deprived Native women of access to justice services.10 This complex “maze of injustice” 10 has resulted in perpetrators facing “little, if any, consequences for their actions”.10 This deepens the comprehension of the crisis from individual criminal acts to a form of state-sanctioned violence. It underscores that effective solutions must involve incorporation of Native history and their knowledge, reclamation of Native languages, and therefore, the preservation of their cultures, identity and pride, empowerment, and critically, healing and well-being. These are fundamental reforms that Tribal leaders must continue to drive to proactively protect Tribal sovereignty, self-determination, and self-governance.

Barriers to Safe Passage: Infrastructure and Mobility

Physical infrastructure, while intended to facilitate movement, can paradoxically become a source of profound danger for Native communities. Major state highways frequently divide Tribal communities, lacking basic accommodations such as sidewalks, lighting, or even roadway shoulders. These physical infrastructures, while providing access to some areas, simultaneously create distance and inherent risks within communities. For example, the simple desire of walking off frustration to deal with emotions in a safe manner can be impossible without thinking about physical safety due to lack of lighting or a designated space. This highlights a critical deficit in safe, accessible public spaces for NA/AN individuals.

Although public transit can also facilitate trafficking, the lack of it is also a significant contributing factor to the violence experienced by Native women and girls. The absence of safe and affordable transportation is directly recognized as a “pathway to violence” in the National Inquiry into MMIWG.11 Native communities urgently require reliable and affordable transportation to access essential services such as healthcare, education, and employment, as well as to maintain connections with family.12 The inability to escape dangerous situations due to a lack of safe transit options significantly exacerbates existing threats.11 The distance and prohibitive cost of transportation to legal aid, investigators, and courts create substantial delays and negatively interfere with the pursuit of justice for victims.11 Furthermore, the widely acknowledged absence of cellular and internet service in many remote and rural areas exacerbates the dangers of travel, leaving individuals isolated and vulnerable.

Beyond physical mobility, transportation infrastructure is a fundamental determinant of access to safety, justice, and well-being. For example, the encumbrance of seeking help, which prevents freedom of movement when that destination might be on the way to doing better, is a direct consequence of this infrastructural deficit. The prohibitive distance and cost of travel to legal aid, healthcare facilities, or safe shelters directly impede access to vital services that could prevent violence or aid in recovery.11 This situation reveals that areas lacking robust, safe, and affordable transportation infrastructure effectively become “transportation deserts” that actively amplify vulnerability to violence, rather than simply failing to prevent it. Therefore, improving transportation is a direct and crucial intervention in the MMIWG crisis, enabling a true “freedom of movement” towards healing and safety.

Reclaiming Wholeness: Pathways to Healing and Safety

Movement is intrinsically linked to well-being in all aspects of life. The presence and strength of one’s family and Nation, for many Native peoples, depend on the freedom to exist, thrive, and seek help without fear. This profound understanding of movement encompasses social, cultural, economic, and political dimensions.

The path to addressing the MMIWG crisis and restoring freedom of movement necessitates a comprehensive approach, rooted in culturally responsive mental health and support. Documentaries and community voices highlight a dire need and strong desire for mental health assistance on Tribal lands. Healing must be culturally unique and appropriate to individuals, their families, and communities. Support services should extend beyond conventional mental health counseling to include community-based emotional support and cultural services, crucially covering costs to access Elders and traditional healers.13 Health system partners must increase their capacity to create culturally safe and inclusive health services for Native American communities, incorporating and prioritizing traditional voices, knowledge, and perspectives. A trauma-informed approach is paramount, acknowledging how intergenerational trauma profoundly influences health and well-being, and actively seeking to avoid retraumatizing individuals seeking support. These principles are central to the Indian Health Service’s mission and the legal and policy framework creates the opportunity for traditional knowledge and practices to be integrated into modern health services.

This emphasis on holistic healing underscores that physical safety and freedom of movement are inextricably linked to emotional, spiritual, and cultural well-being. Without addressing the deep wounds of historical and intergenerational trauma, and providing culturally relevant healing, Native women and girls cannot fully experience “freedom of movement,” even if physical pathways are improved. The “inhibition of seeking help” is a direct consequence of this unaddressed trauma and the lack of culturally safe spaces. This broader understanding means that “equitable” places must include a commitment to culturally safe spaces and services that support mental and spiritual health without assigning blame, expanding the definition of “safe” beyond mere physical design to encompass psychological and cultural safety.

Supporting Tribal Nations and their community-led solutions are critical components of this reclamation. Addressing the MMIW crisis requires fundamental reforms to foundational laws and policies, including the protection of “Tribal sovereignty with adequate resources” for Tribal leaders to “implement such authority to fully protect women” and girls.10

Improving transportation infrastructure is undeniably a healing component. This can be achieved by integrating MMIWG safety into the entire project development lifecycle through a “Vision Zero” approach. Vision Zero, a global movement aimed at eliminating all traffic fatalities and serious injuries, founded on the premise that road deaths are unacceptable and preventable.14 It employs a “Safe System Approach” that shifts responsibility from individual road users to the designers of the system, integrating policy, design, and practice to create a comprehensive and redundant environment that protects all road users.14 Its core principles—that death and serious injuries are unacceptable, humans are vulnerable, and responsibility is shared—can be directly applied to the MMIWG crisis.14

Tribal transportation practitioners can strategically integrate MMIWG safety with iterative planning to project delivery. This involves developing specific goals and priority criterion systems for transportation projects that explicitly address MMIWG safety, tracking their effectiveness, and leveraging this data for competitive grant submissions. Comprehensive, data-rich transportation plans should identify funding sources, potential barriers, resolutions to those barriers, timelines, and possible partnerships to demonstrate strong community concern and a well-thought-out attempt to address the issue. Involving internal and external partners like health and emergency management departments can provide additional support. Critical stakeholders should be involved from the outset in developing long-range plans, exploring grassroots ideas, revitalizing traditions, applying for grants, and exploring demonstration projects. All these efforts create an interconnected force to improve safety.

Applying the “Vision Zero” framework to MMIWG means extending the goal of “zero deaths and serious injuries” to encompass violence against Native women and girls. If social, legal, and physical systems are designed with the vulnerability of Native women in mind, and responsibility is shared across governments, communities, and agencies, then violence can be proactively prevented. This represents a shift from merely reacting to disappearances and murders to proactively designing environments and systems that protect women and girls. This reframes the MMIWG crisis not solely as a criminal justice issue, but as a public safety and systemic design failure, akin to traffic fatalities. It provides a powerful, actionable framework for transportation practitioners to integrate MMIWG prevention into their core work, advocating for infrastructure and policies that actively protect NA/AN women and girls, thereby making their movement truly safe and free.

Conclusion: Walking Towards a Safer Future for All

The concept of “Freedom of Movement” is deeply intertwined with well-being, safety, and cultural integrity. The MMIWG crisis represents a profound violation of this freedom, rooted in a complex history of colonialism and ongoing systemic injustices. This crisis is not merely a collection of isolated incidents; it is a national crime pattern, a direct assault on the cultural and social fabric of Tribal Nations, and a manifestation of a legacy that continues to dehumanize NA/AN peoples.10 Despite centuries of oppression, the resilience of NA/AN women and communities remains a powerful force.1

The vision for MMIWG is to create a culturally relevant freedom of movement for the safety and well-being of all Native American peoples to dream. This aligns powerfully with the principles of “Vision Zero,” which advocates for eliminating all serious injuries and fatalities by proactively designing safe systems. Applying this framework to the MMIWG crisis means striving for a future where violence against Native women and girls is unacceptable and preventable, where responsibility is shared across all levels of society, and where systems are designed to protect and uplift. Healing is a journey with setbacks, but it is completely attainable to build a safe multi-use pathway back to wholeness.

Navigating a journey toward healing and wholeness requires a strong foundation for Native American, Alaska Native, and other Indigenous Peoples. While each Nation, community, and family is unique, there’s a shared understanding that a path to wellness begins with embracing the sacredness of life. Many traditions teach that every part of one’s physical and spiritual being—from thoughts to movements to a single strand of hair—is a sacred gift from the Creator. Many Nations celebrate this belief early through coming-of-age ceremonies that guide youth into adulthood. These ceremonies provide a community of teachings for living a life of confidence, balance, and beauty. By remembering these and other traditional teachings, Native peoples can be prepared to navigate a complex world from a solid footing, relying on their personal guiding stars and a strong sense of self-worth to make informed decisions.

The path to a safer future requires a collective commitment from all, but it is not achievable without the protection and exercise of Tribal sovereignty by Tribal leaders. This includes not only improving physical infrastructure but also dismantling systemic racism, addressing socioeconomic vulnerabilities, and ensuring access to comprehensive, culturally appropriate mental health services. To achieve this, we must understand the systemic nature of the MMIWG crisis and advocate for policies and infrastructure that prioritize the safety, equity, and cultural integrity of NA/AN communities. This requires learning more, supporting Native-led initiatives, advocating for policy changes, and engaging in community-level efforts to ensure every individual has the fundamental freedom to move, thrive, and live without fear.

Misty Klann, an enrolled citizen of the Navajo Nation, is the Principal Owner of Bluecorn Consulting, LLC, where she leverages her extensive experience in transportation planning to empower Tribal Nations. Previously, she served as a Consultative Planner for the Federal Highway Administration’s Federal Lands Highway Office of Tribal Transportation, where she guided consultation and coordination efforts with Tribal Nations while leading initiatives to strengthen Tribal transportation planning capacity.

Resources for Indigenous Communities:

In case you missed the previous pieces in this series, you can find them here.

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