Report on tribal youth and violence urges action

American Indian and Alaska Native children are exposed to violence at rates higher than any other social group in the US, according to a new report that urges creation of a new Native American affairs office, additional federal funding and other measures to combat the problem.

The report released Tuesday by a US Department of Justice advisory committee reflects information gathered at public hearings across the country in 2013 and 2014.

The report's goal is to be a catalyst for action by Congress and the Obama administration, committee co-chair and former U.S. Sen. Byron Dorgan said in video teleconference.

According to the report, exposure to violence results in American Indian and Alaska Native children experiencing post-traumatic stress at three times the rate of the non-Native population. The task force compared the level of stress to that of veterans returning from Afghanistan and Iraq.

The study says 75 percent of deaths among indigenous children between the ages of 12 and 20 are caused by violence, including homicides and suicides.

Alaska Native children were singled out as having the worst conditions systemically for various reasons including Alaska's vastness, remoteness and steep transportation costs, along with a lack of respect for tribal sovereignty.

Among recommendations specific to the state, the report urges that more sovereignty be granted to Alaska Native tribes. Currently the only reservation in the state is the community of Metlakatla, in southeast Alaska.

A key recommendation in the report is to establish a White House Native American affairs office to coordinate services affecting children, among other things.

Dorgan said it's difficult to predict how such recommendations as creating a new office to deal with the problem will be received in Congress.

The recommendations are a step forward in helping Native American children receive opportunities to succeed, said U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, a North Dakota Democrat and member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.

"Native children dealing with the dire effects of exposure to violence has truly reached pandemic levels - and it requires our immediate attention," Heitkamp said in a statement. - Sapa-AP