By Joe Morey News Editor
Josh Kaul told tribal leaders at their annual Great Lakes Intertribal Council meeting in Madison during the State of the Tribes address that he is spearheading the partnership between the task force on Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and the Wisconsin Anti-Human Trafficking Task Force (WAHTTF). He added he is adopting and proposing recommendations.
Kaul said his office works to hold traffickers accountable for their crimes and to support trafficking victims. He said the partnership will make both task forces more effective.
WAHTTF is a statewide multidisciplinary task force led by the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) and Project Respect. WAHTTF upholds the intent of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act by ensuring that all trafficking victims are identified and receive access to a comprehensive array of support services, and that crimes of human trafficking are successfully investigated and prosecuted at the local, state, tribal, and federal levels.
The MMIWR Task Force goal is to help fight the abduction, homicide, violence and trafficking of Indigenous women and relatives in Wisconsin.
According to a January DOJ press release, “In partnership with the Wisconsin DOJ and the Indigenous communities, the task force is examining the factors that contribute to missing and murdered Indigenous women and relatives, focusing on understanding the roles federal, state and tribal jurisdictions play, and how to improve and implement robust data collection and reporting methods.”
Other issues facing Indian Country is substance abuse disorders, which Kaul said his office is making some great collaborations.
Kaul said the opioid epidemic is a continuing problem across the country, and it’s hitting tribal communities in Wisconsin even harder.
“The overdose death rate in 2021 among Native Americans was nearly three times as high as the overdose rate in the rest of the state,” Kaul stated.
The Wisconsin Department of Health Services awarded $8 million for opioid treatment services to tribal nations, in which the tribes will divide up amongst them.
Kaul said of the share of the $31 million in the opioid settlement that the state keeps, they can use for more treatment and diversion programs.
“More funding has gone towards treatment and recovery efforts, but I’d like to see more go towards prevention,” Kaul added. He said some of the funding as also gone to law enforcement training. “We need to continue investing into training programs.”
Kaul told the tribal leaders one way young people can help is through law enforcement and encouraged more to join the profession.
Regarding law enforcement, Kaul said the Attorney General’s office is addressing the differences in law enforcement pay for tribal officers versus other state officers.
Stockbridge Munsee Tribal President Shannon Holsey said it’s important that we find ways to continue supporting our law enforcement officers.
Lac du Flambeau President Jack Johnson asked Kaul if he had any comments about the racism and tensions in the Northwoods as tribal members begin to exercise their treaty rights with spearfishing.
“People will be held accountable for their actions. We need to make sure tribal people are respected. This is their right,” Kaul stated.
Johnson told Kaul that his efforts to date have been effective, but he noted that tribal young people are out there and they are getting picked on by older people and this just shouldn’t be happening.
Regarding the MMIW task force partnerships, the January DOJ press release stated task force leadership plan to engage membership in regular collaboration, providing shared input on data collection protocols and recommendations for best practices throughout the state. The WAHTTF, the MMIWR Task Force, American Indians Against Abuse (AIAA), and Wisconsin DOJ’s Office of Crime Victim Services plan to collaborate on a statewide survey distributed to non-Native victim service providers, Tribal victim service programs and Native-led nonprofit agencies, and District Attorney Office-based Victim/Witness Coordinators in an attempt to understand the scope of human trafficking in Native communities and learn about barriers to accessing services. AIAA is the statewide coalition of tribal victim service providers, providing training and technical assistance to Wisconsin’s 11 federally recognized tribes.