Events held to raise awareness about human trafficking

Jodi Summit

VERMILION RESERVATION – About two dozen youth and adults marched here recently to raise awareness about the issues of human trafficking and missing and murdered indigenous loved ones. A complementary event was held simultaneously at Nett Lake.
The marches were a prelude to an all-day conference focused on human trafficking, organized by Muriel Deegan, Bois Forte's victim services coordinator. The conference, scheduled for Thursday, June 13 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Fortune Bay, is free and open to the public, and lunch will be served. For more information, contact Muriel at [email protected] or call 218-410-3832.
“There is no one type of trafficking victim,” Deegan wrote, “traffickers prey on vulnerable people behind hidden doors.”
Violence is a health issue, and current research shows that on average 40% of women involved in sex trafficking are American Indian or Alaska Native. Homicide is the third leading cause of death among Indigenous girls and women aged 15 to 24.
Tawny Savage, violence prevention coordinator for the new Minnesota Office of Missing and Murdered Native Parents (MMIR), said her outreach efforts consist of a lot of time spent with high school students. The problem of missing women is persistent and often ignored by the public. In January alone, 62 teenagers and women went missing in Minnesota, she said.
Savage said one of the most important things when missing a loved one is time. Families should contact law enforcement immediately and not wait. They must provide detailed information.
“Law enforcement is required to take the report,” she said. “There is no waiting period required to file a missing persons report.”
Savage attended the event as part of his outreach efforts. She is based in northern Minnesota and works with tribes alongside her youth work.
A Vermilion resident who participated in the march spoke of a friend of hers, Sheila St. Clair, of Fond Du Lac, who disappeared more than eight years ago in Duluth.
“I was one of the last people to see her,” said Isabelle Larson, who said her friend had just had surgery and was recently released from the hospital.
Larson said that on several occasions, law enforcement thought they had found St. Clair's body, but then it turned out it wasn't her. “It was so hard,” Larson said.
Savage said when a person goes missing, there has to be a coordinated response from many different agencies, not only law enforcement, but also child protective services and social workers .
“Families are the best advocates,” she said. “Law enforcement must take their reports seriously.”
Historical distrust of law enforcement within Indigenous communities is an obstacle that must be overcome, she said. “This is something our office is working on. We must work together.
The MMIR office also has a reward fund, “Gaagige-Mikwendaagoziwag” meaning “they will be remembered forever”. The fund offers rewards for information about missing and murdered Indigenous women, children and Two-Spirit loved ones.
Assistance and resources are now available from the new statewide office at [email protected] or online at dps.mn.gov/divisions/ojp/mmir/Pages/about. aspx.
Governor Tim Walz signed into law legislation to establish the nation's first MMIR office in 2021. The staff is housed in the Department of Public Safety's Office of Justice Programs (OJP) and will work to implement the recommendations of the the MMIW working group. ​​​
Suspected report
human trafficking
If you or someone you know is in immediate danger of being trafficked, call 911.
To report a suspected trafficking situation, call BCA at 1-877-996-6222 or email [email protected].