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Read, Debate: Engage.
| topic: | Indigenous people |
|---|---|
| located: | Brazil, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile |
| editor: | Ellen Nemitz |
Amnesty International’s annual report, published this April, highlights the main human rights violations in several countries, giving an idea of the conditions of people in 149 countries throughout 2020, which were strongly affected by the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the region of Americas, which has been one of the most unequal areas of the world even before the pandemic, most governments’ crisis mishandling led to disastrous poverty rates and a high number of deaths, many of them avoidable with more effective measures. According to statistics appearing in Amnesty International's report, the Americas account for 13 percent of the world’s population and for 49 percent of COVID-19 deaths globally.
"COVID-19 restrictions hit the region’s large informal economy hard, while government measures frequently undermined the social, economic and cultural rights of those in the most precarious situations,” reads Amnesty International’s report. “Confused health messages, lack of transparency and inadequate protective measures for marginalised communities compounded already weak and unequal access to health care, with devastating results.”
While the pandemic has upended people’s lives worldwide, the impact was harder among those already vulnerable, such as indigenous peoples.
In Argentina, for example, traditional communities still face difficulties in having their constitutionally guaranteed territories recognised, as well as in gaining access to social benefits.
Since mining was declared an essential activity during the pandemic, some regions of Argentina, Bolivia and Chile are being explored for lithium extraction, and indigenous peoples in those areas are worried about water quality in their territories; the reporting about it is still ambiguous however.
In Chile, the Mapuches, an indigenous people who lost territories during the colonisation period and nowadays still struggle to maintain their remaining areas, have been victims of abuse, according to the report.
The war on Mapuches includes arrests, torture, killings, expulsions and even crackdowns on economic activities - women who sell vegetables on the streets were detained and harassed by the police, says Amnesty International.
In the Amazon region, indigenous peoples suffered from continuous attacks on their territories for logging and mining, which also affected the entire environment and caused large-scale problems. These communities were forgotten by their governments (such was the case in Brazil and Ecuador, for example), and were left without resources to deal with the pandemic.
"Indigenous Peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon continued to be at high risk in the context of the pandemic due to lack of access to drinking water, food, medical supplies, health services and COVID-19 tests, resulting from long-term inequality, exclusion and discrimination,” says Amnesty International.
In Bolivia, in addition to all problems commonly affecting indigenous communities, the NGO identified an escalation of racism as a result of social media campaigns spreading stigmatisation.
Fortunately, there is good news as well.
In Peru, Survival International reported the creation of the Yavarí Tapiche Indigenous Reserve, after 18 years, which constitutes a victory for uncontacted peoples.
In Brazil, indigenous leader Sonia Guajajara celebrated the final demarcation of a territory demanded by the Guarani Kaiowá after the Supreme Court voted to annul a previous decision against their rights.
Brazil has also seen some good examples of how simple it can be to protect and respect indigenous peoples: in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, a private project translated Covid-19 safety measures (like washing hands and using face masks) for people who do not speak Portuguese - a crucial strategy for them to have access to information.
Over the centuries the relation between white and indigenous peoples has been based on and shaped by violence. However, there is no news in saying that traditional communities are vital for the environment and for our survival as a human race. So, despite all the problems reported, especially during this pandemic, we must celebrate the little victories and work to make them more frequent.
Image: International Monetary Fund.
