Data can lose identity
Race may be misclassified, and many federal records do not include Tribal affiliation.
A permanent daily watch
Native Children
Watch
Our children are not statistics. Their names, families, Nations, cultures and futures matter.
Seen · Remembered · Protected
No child or relative should disappear into silence.
This original red, black and warm-cream field belongs with Native Children Watch. It is presented as a visual reminder that Native children, women, girls and relatives deserve visibility, urgency and a coordinated response.
Learn about Native Hope and its MMIW resourcesToday’s digital-safety focus
Pressure for a password, location or image is not care.
Digital control can arrive disguised as attention or affection. Native-led guidance gives adults a calmer way to help a young person notice lost choice, coercion and fear without treating one behavior as proof of abuse.
The National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center describes dating abuse as a pattern of power and control. Its NativeLove guidance notes that digital abuse can include repeated tracking, nonstop messages, control over friendships, demanded passwords or pressure for images. One behavior alone does not establish abuse; adults should look for a pattern that narrows a young person’s safety, privacy or ability to choose.
NCMEC describes sextortion as blackmail involving demands for sexual content, sexual activity or money. A young person who is pressured or threatened is not to blame. Preserve safe evidence such as messages, usernames and payment demands without downloading or forwarding sexual images, use the platform’s reporting tools, and call 911 when there is immediate danger.
StrongHearts Native Helpline supports Native teens, families and concerned relatives by phone or text at 1-844-7NATIVE around the clock. Phone support is available to all ages; online chat is not available to children 12 and younger. StrongHearts is not 911 and cannot connect a caller to 911, and it does not speak for every Nation or family.
Care leaves room for choice. Pressure, threats and surveillance deserve a calm, blame-free path to help.
Today’s action
Tell one young person today: “If anyone pressures or threatens you for an image, password, location or money online, you can tell me. I will help without blaming you.”
Why this watch exists
A dedicated space, because incomplete visibility can delay action.
Responsibility can cross boundaries
Tribal, federal, state and local authority can differ by the person, place and alleged offense.
Families deserve a clear route
Official case channels and Native-led family support should be easier to find and understand.
Words readers may see
Related terms—not interchangeable labels.
- MMIW / MMIWG
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women; or Women and Girls.
- MMIWR
- Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Relatives—a term that recognizes a wider circle of relatives.
- MMIP
- Missing or Murdered Indigenous Persons, used for people of all genders and ages.
Red is used throughout this page in recognition of the red-centered awareness language and public materials used during MMIW/MMIWG/MMIWR observances. The design is original and does not reproduce an organization’s logo or ceremonial imagery.
Native-led work and official help
Know who is already carrying this work.
These links go to each organization’s own description of its role. Inclusion is informational, not a claim that any one group represents every Tribe or family.
Native-led · Survivor-led nonprofit
Not Our Native Daughters
NOND addresses missing, murdered and exploited Indigenous relatives through family-directed assistance, prevention, youth leadership, policy work and cultural reclamation.Read the complete profileNative-focused storytelling and education organization
Native Hope
Native Hope uses storytelling, education and community resources to challenge barriers, amplify Native voices and build public understanding of issues including MMIW.Read the complete profileNative-led national nonprofit
National Indigenous Women’s Resource Center
NIWRC provides national leadership, culturally grounded resources, training, technical assistance and policy development addressing violence against Native women and children.Read the complete profileNative-centered confidential helpline
StrongHearts Native Helpline
StrongHearts provides anonymous and confidential domestic and sexual violence support for Native Americans and Alaska Natives by phone, text and online chat.Read the complete profileNational Native child-welfare nonprofit
National Indian Child Welfare Association
NICWA works to protect Native children and families and keep children connected to family, community and culture through advocacy, training, policy and community development.Read the complete profileNative child-advocacy training resource
Native Child Advocacy Resource Center
NCARC, a division of the National Native Children’s Trauma Center at the University of Montana, helps child-advocacy services better meet the cultural and jurisdictional needs of Tribal children and families.Read the complete profileNative-led regional coalition
Coalition to Stop Violence Against Native Women
CSVANW works to end violence against Native women and children through support, education, advocacy, training, technical assistance and policy change.Read the complete profileFederal law-enforcement resource · Not a nonprofit
BIA Missing and Murdered Unit
The Missing and Murdered Unit within the Bureau of Indian Affairs Office of Justice Services analyzes and investigates qualifying missing, murdered and trafficking cases involving American Indians and Alaska Natives.Read the complete profileIf help is needed now
Use an official route. Do not investigate alone.
Immediate dangerCall 911After a missing-child reportNCMEC help Native-centered support1-844-7NATIVEMMIP informationBIA MMU
For a missing child, contact local law enforcement first, then NCMEC’s 24-hour call center at 1-800-THE-LOST. StrongHearts does not connect callers to 911. The BIA MMU tip route is for federal crimes and missing or murdered cases occurring in Indian Country. Never post an unverified accusation or a child’s private information.
Letter archive
Every verified letter stays available.
Latest verified edition
Read letter →An early release is not a blanket cancellation.
Archive letter
Read letter →An operation total is not a child’s case status.
Archive letter
Read letter →Youth voice still requires consent.
Archive letter
Read letter →A quick technology change is not always the safest first step.
Archive letter
Read letter →A family-support request is not a public tip.
Archive letter
Read letter →A clinic schedule is a starting point—not a promise of eligibility or supply.
Archive letter
Read letter →A ribbon-cutting is not an enrollment confirmation.
Archive letter
Read letter →A route to help works best when a young person can name who will answer.
Archive letter
Read letter →A safety plan becomes useful when a family can name one meeting point.
Archive letter
Read letter →A multi-day advisory starts the check. Today’s local forecast sets today’s plan.
Archive letter
Read letter →A Tribal alert is a cue to check the live local source.
Archive letter
Read letter →A live burn ban is local. Check the issuing Nation before a spark.
Archive letter
Read letter →A grant can support a safer stop. It does not certify one.
Archive letter
Read letter →A public plan shows roles—not proof of readiness.
Archive letter
Read letter →A proposed retention schedule is not a deletion order.
Archive letter
Read letter →Review denied is not a new merits ruling.
Archive letter
Read letter →A seat at the table should widen student voice.
Archive letter
Read letter →Remembrance should not require a child to carry the lesson.
Archive letter
Read letter →Awareness should widen choice—not demand a disclosure.
Archive letter
Read letter →A roadmap is not yet a law.
Archive letter
Read letter →A training can strengthen practice. It cannot replace the child’s Nation.
Archive letter
Read letter →A background check is required. A safe placement takes more.
Archive letter
Read letter →Audit progress: Five implemented. Three need follow-through.
Archive letter
Read letter →Who decides what stays private?
Archive letter
Read letter →The award is made. The work begins September 30.
Archive letter
Read letter →The agreement is active. The amendments are not final.
Archive letter
Read letter →The consultation ended. The written record is still open.
Archive letter
Read letter →When child-welfare services change hands, families need a verified door—and children need privacy.
Archive letter
Read letter →A remembrance lesson should begin with Native voices—and leave room to step back.
Archive letter
Read letter →A missing-child poster needs a current source—and an exit.
Archive letter
Read letter →A child’s safety plan should be shaped with them, not placed on them.
Archive letter
Read letter →Tribal child-welfare priorities still have a place in the federal record.
Archive letter
Read letter →A secure family record can make a child’s Tribal connections easier to find.
Archive letter
Read letter →A car-seat check should fit the child, the vehicle—and the community.
Archive letter
Read letter →When a child starts to tell, make room—do not take over.
Archive letter
Read letter ↑Pressure for a password, location or image is not care.
Archive letter
Read letter →A caring conversation needs a clear route to live help.
Archive letter
Read letter →A response plan must work before a child goes missing.
Archive letter
Read letter →