Thousands drive by them every day: There are hundreds of teal ribbons tied to wooden posts along Valley Center Road in North County.
Each one is meant to remind people of a much bigger problem in the nation’s Native American community.
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WATCH HERE“April is the national awareness month for sexual assault,” said Tim Ruise, a spokesman for the Strong Hearted Native Women’s Coalition.
Ruise helped put up the ribbons through Valley Center.
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SIGN UP “It represents all of those that have been silenced,” Ruise said with a sigh. “A lot of times, you don't want to talk about your victimization. In our community, you're not supposed to talk about things like that. That's what you're told not to.”
Ruise said the SHNWC helps victims of domestic and sexual violence. They’re trying to break the stigma and barriers so they can help more members in California’s 109 tribes. He said new statistics show 1 in 2 Native American women and 1in 4 men are victims of some sexual violence in their lives.
“Things happen to men — they happen to boys, especially — but you're told not to talk about it,” explained Ruise. “The numbers that you see that are so scary are probably higher than what we're seeing because of the underreporting.”
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Ruise said coalitions like SHNWC are working with law enforcement and tribes to change that trend.
“Relationships are building," Ruise said. "They're growing. Things are moving forward.”
National statistics show Native Americans are victims of violent crimes nearly twice as often as the national average. Ruise said it’s likely closer to three times as much for California tribes.
