Nevada Appeal Capitol Bureau
Saturday, August 7, 2021
Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto, D-Nev., and Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, say their legislation to address the crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women is entering its next phase.
With the bipartisan Not Invisible Act in place, they said the Department of Interior and Department of Justice are consulting with tribal leaders to solicit nominations for a joint commission to implement the legislation.
“These nominations and conversations are critical to implementing our bipartisan legislation,” said Masto. “The crisis of missing and murdered Indigenous women deserves a serious response from our government.”
“Recognizing that there is important work ahead to bring justice to tribal communities is critical in ending the crisis of missing, trafficked and murdered indigenous people,” said Murkowski.
The commission will include law enforcement, tribal leaders, federal officials, service providers and survivors and work to protect native women. It will also develop standard guidelines on responding to crimes against native women and collect data on those crimes.
They said tribal communities are experiencing and epidemic of violence. They said more than 80 percent of native men and women will experience violence in their lifetimes and more than a third of native women will experience sexual violence or assault. And native women and girls are disproportionately likely to become victims of sex trafficking.
