Thanks, kat - I did need to read that a second time.

There are two distinct issues here that I think have been conflated in one or two posts. One issue is that of non-residents of reservations getting away with serious crime, specifically rape. It would seem a reasonable conclusion, based on the information in the various articles, that most of these perpetrators who escape prosecution are white, as katlaughing stated.

The other issue is that of the rate of rape/sexual-assault, and the percentage of whites as opposed to Natives who are committing these crimes. This issue is more problematic, based on the limited information provided in the articles:

First, there is a study indicating that one out of three Native women will suffer rape.

Secondly, a survey reveals that the "majority" of Native women who were raped, were raped by someone from outside the reserve.

Thirdly, there is the statement that 86% of the reported perpetrators of rape/sexual-assault on Native women were white men.

Now, in the case of the first study, we aren't told if the result given is based solely on cases reported to the Justice Department, or if it is based on some sort of survey or research that includes rape victims who did NOT report the crime to legal authorities. This is an important distinction. If this result includes only 'reported' rapes, then the actual rate is undoubtedly far higher - appalling as that may be. If, on the other hand, that result includes both 'reported' and 'unreported' rapes, then the provided information gives us no idea of what percentage of the total number of rapes/sexual-assaults were committed by white men - because the figure of "86%" only applies to 'reported' rapes.

I wanted to point that out, because a cursory reading of the quoted statistics/statements might give the impression that 86% of the TOTAL number of rapes/sexual-assaults were or will be committed by white men, and we simply don't know if that, according to the studies, is the case.

My own feeling is that a victim would be far more likely to report a rape committed by a non-resident of the rez than one committed by a fellow-resident, because in most instances there would be less fear of reprisal against herself and her family, and less social pressure not to report. Furthermore, in the case of child-victims, the family may be quick to report an assailant who is an outsider, but reluctant to report an assailant from within the family or community.