OVC Links
StrongHearts Native Helpline
This helpline offers 24/7 culturally-appropriate support and advocacy to American Indians and Alaska Natives who are victims of domestic and sexual violence. Contact the helpline by phone or text at 844-7NATIVE (844-762-8483) or live chat.
Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program: Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons
Tribes and organizations that receive funding from the OVC Tribal Victim Services Set-Aside Program can use their funds to help Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons (MMIP) by—
- providing services to the family members of MMIP victims,
- generating awareness of MMIP among community members, in general, and for individual MMIP cases, and
- collaborating with Tribal, federal, and state and local officials to respond to MMIP cases.
Tribal Victim Services Training and Technical Assistance
OVC-funded Tribal Victim Services Training and Technical Assistance (T-VSTTA, pronounced t-vista) is a capacity-building program for American Indian and Alaska Native communities. T-VSTTA provides tailored, victim-centered, and trauma-informed training and technical assistance to grantees and potential grantees as they develop sustainable victim services programs. T-VSTTA provides services in areas such as MMIP response, shared response with law enforcement, and community building.
The Tribal Resource Tool
The Tribal Resource Tool is a searchable map of victim service programs for survivors of crime and abuse. Organizations that provide services to American Indians and Alaska Natives may submit a request for inclusion in the map. The tool was developed by the National Center for Victims of Crime, the National Congress of American Indians, and the Tribal Law and Policy Institute, with funding support from OVC. These OVC grantees are also using the tool to identify gaps in services.
Government Links
U.S. Department of Justice: Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons
This site highlights efforts by the Department to address the disproportionately high rates of violence experienced by Native Americans, and relatedly, the high rates of Indigenous persons reported missing.
National Missing and Unidentified Persons System (NAMUS): Support for Missing Indigenous Person Cases
NamUs, is the first national online repository for missing and unidentified persons cases. This initiative brings together two innovative, searchable databases to provide a powerful tool for law enforcement agencies, medical examiners and coroners, victim advocates, and the public to search for matches between missing persons and unidentified human remains records. Links to state clearinghouses, medical examiner and coroner offices, law enforcement agencies, victim assistance groups, and pertinent legislation are also included.
Bureau of Indian Affairs
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous People: This program investigates missing and murdered cases in pursuit of justice for those impacted by violence
- Not Invisible Act Commission: This commission works to combat the epidemic of missing, murdered, and trafficked Native Americans and Alaska Natives.
- Victim Assistance Program: This program offers direct services to victims, including crisis intervention, referrals and information for mental and emotional health and other types of specialized responses, emergency services and transportation, and follow up for additional assistance.
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention: Missing and Exploited Children
This page provides information about Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention efforts to address missing and exploited children. It offers publications and resources to support victims and their families.
Non-Government Links
AMBER Alert in Indian Country
This program offers training and technical assistance to help Tribal communities develop programs to safely recover endangered missing or abducted children.
National Center for Missing & Exploited Children
NCMEC works to locate and recover missing children and raises public awareness about ways to prevent child abduction, molestation, and sexual exploitation. NCMEC offers a 24-hour, toll free hotline, 800-THE-LOST (800-843-5678), a CyberTipline to collect leads from the public, and online resources on finding missing children and assisting families.
National Human Trafficking Hotline
This national, toll free hotline, operates 24/7. Contact the hotline by phone at 888-373-7888, by text at 233733, or live chat on their website.
National Indigenous Women's Resource Center
This organization provides leadership to end violence against American Indian, Alaska Native, and Native Hawaiian women.