On June 3, 2024, Director Rosie Hidalgo delivered remarks at the National Congress of American Indians (NCAI) Mid-Year Conference. She expressed gratitude to NCAI and President Mark Macarro for the opportunity to speak.
Hidalgo, serving as the Director of the Office on Violence Against Women (OVW), emphasized OVW’s mission to prevent and address domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, stalking, and related gender-based violence. She highlighted OVW's efforts since her last address at the NCAI conference in February.
The OVW was established to implement key parts of the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), a bipartisan legislation developed through grassroots advocacy and survivors' efforts, including those from Tribal communities. Each reauthorization of VAWA has enhanced protections and expanded grant programs for survivors.
For fiscal year 2024, appropriations for VAWA implementation reached $713 million—a record amount reflecting a 35% increase since 2021. In FY 2023, OVW’s Tribal Affairs Division awarded nearly $64 million in grants to Tribes and Tribal organizations; this year it anticipates awarding nearly $80 million due to increased appropriations.
The Tribal Affairs Division is led by Sherriann Moore from the Rosebud Sicangu’ Lakota Nation. It administers five grant programs designated for Tribes and Tribal organizations. The division has grown significantly in recent years with staffing tripling to better support Tribal needs.
"The disproportionate rates of violence against American Indian and Alaska Native women and girls... are increasingly recognized," Hidalgo stated. She emphasized that addressing these issues requires leadership from Tribal communities who know best how to enhance safety, justice, and healing.
Several initiatives were highlighted:
- Two separate Grants to Tribal Governments Program solicitations were issued this year: one supporting general responses by Tribal governments and another under the Strengthening Tribal Advocacy Responses Track (START) for applicants new or recently unfunded by OVW.
- Support for Tribes interested in implementing Special Tribal Criminal Jurisdiction over non-Indian perpetrators expanded under VAWA 2022.
- The Targeted Support for Alaska Native Tribes Special Initiative aids Alaska Native Tribes seeking designation by the Attorney General as participating Tribes able to exercise jurisdiction over non-Indians.
- A new special initiative funds Healing and Response Teams based on recommendations by the Not Invisible Act Commission (NIAC).
All OVW grant programs are open to Tribes; Hidalgo encouraged exploring various funding opportunities via their website www.justice.gov/ovw.
Hidalgo also announced a renewal request for the Task Force on Research on Violence Against American Indian and Alaska Native Women—known as Section 904 Task Force—which provides research advice on violence against Indigenous women. A virtual meeting will be held on June 17 with nominations sought afterward for new members representing various sectors.
Earlier this spring, listening sessions were held regarding The Enhancing Tribal Behavioral Health Response and Support for Victims Special Initiative (TBHRS). An application solicitation is expected before fiscal year's end.
Additionally, a prosecutor guide was released last month aimed at improving national responses to sexual assault and domestic violence cases through survivor-centered approaches involving cultural sensitivity.
Hidalgo concluded with an invitation to attend the 19th Annual Government-to-Government Violence Against Women Tribal Consultation scheduled from Nov. 19-21 in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
"We at OVW know that the best solutions... are those shaped and informed by Tribal voices," she said before thanking attendees for their work and leadership.