Essay
Native reservations are some of the poorest and unreported communities in America. Since colonization began, Native people have been mistreated, abused, neglected, killed, and put on a small barren piece of land. Even though Natives do live outside of reservations, many families choose to stay there. Because of this, many Native children are susceptible to becoming products of their environment. Drinking, Smoking, and Gambling are common addictions to succumb to on Native Reservations. Since no one is looking out for these kids, they are at high risk of going missing, being abused, neglected, or worse, killed.
Multidisciplinary Child Protection Team (MDT) is a group of professionals in different fields who work together to prevent child neglect/abuse, support victims and their families and more. This team includes CPS, Law Enforcement, Medical and Mental Health professionals, Victim Advocates, and Child Forensic interview specialists. They all contribute to help reduce trauma, strengthen investigations, and help support victims.
We need MDT to establish these agencies on Native reservations and counties with high Native populations to reduce the risk of children going missing or being abused. Native children should be able to have the same access to these services that everyone else does.