Indigenous Peoples Day observances in Nevada on October 12 saw a new proposal to establish an alert system to send out texts and emails when Indigenous women are missing and feared murdered.

The alert would use the same system the state now has for Amber Alerts and Silver Alerts for missing children and older people.

Jonnette Paddy, communications coordinator for the group Native Voters Alliance Nevada, said federal data show 84% of Native American and Alaska Native women have experienced some form of violent victimization. Indigenous women are murdered at rates up to 10 times higher than other ethnicities. Indigenous people are disproportionately represented among missing cases.

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Paddy stressed the reasons for the disparities include questions over jurisdiction and the fact many reservations are rural and near oil or mining camps where men greatly outnumber women.

Nevada is home to more than 100,000 Indigenous and Native American people, about 3% of the state's total population, according to data from the World Population Review. The state has 28 federally recognized tribes.

Paddy added the new alerts will help engage the public in cases where Indigenous women are in harm’s way.

"It's just kind of more of the next step in trying to mitigate this issue and close the gap by building on existing infrastructure and ensuring families and communities receive the swift response that they deserve," Paddy explained.

The alert bill will be introduced in the next legislative session by Shea Backus, Nevada’s only Indigenous member of the state Assembly.