(Posted 2022 February)
You will likely remember hearing about the tragedy of 22-year-old Gabby Petito last August.1 Gabby was young, charming on camera – and white. The media machine helped spotlight attention on her disappearance and mobilize multiple federal and state government agencies, and social media citizens in the search. The horrific disappearance of Gabby mirrors the experience of many women who go missing each year, often victims of human trafficking and sexual violence.
Sadly, attention to the issue of missing women has also highlighted the lack of media attention upon women of color and indigenous women who go missing every day. This begs the question, why aren’t media and search-and-rescue missions equitably representative of all missing persons and victims? Though you may postulate a paucity of resources as the answer, this is a false narrative. Instead, media focus upon missing women who are white, and not those of color and indigenous women, is largely informed by who networks determine to be worthy of the utilization of resources.
“According to the FBI’s National Crime Information Center, despite being only 13 percent of the population, Black Americans account for 34 percent of all missing persons a year.”2 Over 64,000 Black women have been reported missing across the United States. Let’s consider, for example, that during the last 10 years, over 700 indigenous women have disappeared in the same area where Gabby Petito’s remains were found. While grassroots efforts such as websites and social media campaigns have generated attention, they are no match for mainstream news media outlets and government resources. As a recent article in the Washington Post highlights, university research has found racial disparity in news reporting on missing persons cases, with victims who are white, attractive, and young receiving more attention from the media.
In Fairfax County, 12 women (out of 24 missing people) continue to be reported missing, and the state of Virginia has over 287 active missing person cases.
The impact of missing women and girls have long-term consequences for loved ones and compromise the safety and well-being of communities everywhere. While it’s easy to feel overwhelmed when seeing statistics on the number of missing people, we all can play a role in helping to raise the voices of all missing women, particularly those from more underrepresented groups.
The One Fairfax policy challenges bias and racism within government and provides a platform for us to ensure that all missing women receive equitable mitigation of circumstance. Additionally, Fairfax County Domestic and Sexual Violence Services encourages those who are seeking help, or need someone to listen, to contact our Domestic and Sexual Violence 24-Hour Hotline at (703) 360-7273. Services are free and confidential.
This article was written by John Crownover and the DSVS Equity Impact Team
1 Gabby Petito died by strangulation, Teton County coroner confirms - The Washington Post
2 Kendall, Mikki “Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That A Movement Forgot,” p. 1
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