Omaha Nation Community Response Team
Ten Clans Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative
The Ten Clans Domestic Violence Prevention Initiative serves as the community cornerstone for an emergency response for victims of domestic violence, dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking residing on the Omaha Reservation. The Omaha Tribe is facing an epidemic rise in violent behavior within our families and youth relationships, involving many contributing factors. Tribal leaders and community members know that many incidences of abuse go unreported, including sexual assault.
The result of an overburdened response system and gaps in services is that our women remain unprotected as the community has come to accept abuse as the norm rather than the exception and abuse has now extended itself into youth displaying abusive behaviors in relationships. The intent of the ONCRT is to enhance the current domestic violence prevention system and provide for future services that presently do not exist, including specific services for victims with special needs. Additionally, the ONCRT is committed to working with Omaha Nation to ensure that the domestic violence tribal codes are effective and current.
Victim assistance services will be initiated with the victim’s safety being considered of critical importance and will be obtained through the networking of programs and providing support and education while developing community initiatives to enlighten and inform the community. Prevention and intervention strategies will be developed in unison with community education and training. The Ten Clans Domestic Violence Initiative has two full-time family advocates who are available 24 hours to respond to domestic violence incidents and victim referrals.
The Initiative is funded through a grant from the Department of Justice, Office of Violence Against Women and offers victim assistance services and community planning as victim safety is considered critically important and is secured through the networking of programs and provision of support and education while developing community initiatives to enlighten and inform the community. Prevention and intervention strategies have been developed in unison with community education and training as the Initiative continues to work towards a more comprehensive system approach.
The project hopes to produce a more comprehensive system approach by applying the following goals and objectives:
Planning Goal: To increase community organization in order to develop a comprehensive strategic plan and design process that will yield a realistic coordinated domestic violence service system model that includes enhancement and addition of existing services
Planning Objectives:
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To establish the ONCRT to plan, implement, and monitor the strategic plan in order to instill or increase coordination among juvenile justice and prevention system stakeholders, including tribal government, law enforcement, tribal criminal justice system, and tribal services;
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To revise Tribal Codes that will assist in identifying, apprehending, and prosecuting perpetrators and provide for safer communities within tribal jurisdiction;
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To provide prevention, support services, and community activities aimed at reducing domestic violence and related crimes;
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To provide for the integration of federal, state, tribal, and local services and culturally appropriate treatment for victims and perpetrators; and
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To develop the role of culture to be infused throughout the products of the planning process.
Implementation Goal: To refine and provide a culturally appropriate, family-based prevention and intervention system focused upon domestic violence on the Omaha Reservation
Implementation Objectives:
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To implement a “menu of prevention services” that are culturally appropriate and family-based and focused upon domestic violence risk factors;
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To increase the number of victims and perpetrators directly served within reservation prevention programs by more than 20%, by expanding the community awareness, youth recruitment, and cultural relevance of reservation prevention services;
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To implement a set of “collaborative intervention alternatives” for court-involved offenders that are culturally-based and that include graduated sanctions, family involvement, community education, and community re-integration; and
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To reduce the numbers of men who offend or re-offend within the tribal justice system by 20% over the duration of the project.