WUNRN
PARAGUAY - INDIGENOUS WOMEN -
POVERTY, DISCRIMINATION, RIGHTS
Indigenous
women of the extremely dry Chaco region in Paraguay, South America, are
learning how to grow vegetables with much less water by burying hand-made clay
pots in their gardens. 7/27/2011 http://www.cwslac.org/where_every_drop_counts:_indigenous_women_of_the_chaco_learn_how_to_grow_more_vegetables_with_less_water-L2eX42.html
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http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/RealizingIPrightsinParaguay.aspx
PARAGUAY - REALIZING INDIGENOUS' PEOPLES' RIGHTS - WOMEN
In
Paraguay, the vast majority of the indigenous population - 91,5 per cent -
lives in rural areas. Half of it is concentrated in the region of Chaco, in the
northern part of the country.
The Chaco region is of difficult access and
has little infrastructure, leaving the population there isolated and
marginalized. Many
indigenous peoples work in slave-like conditions, face poverty and extreme
poverty and those who move to urban areas are often discriminated against,
particularly women and children who fall victims of forced labour and sexual
exploitation.
Continuing
deforestation and environmental degradation also affect the livelihoods of
indigenous peoples across the country.
During her recent visit to Paraguay, UN Deputy High Commissioner
for Human Rights, Kyung-wha Kang heard about the obstacles indigenous peoples
face every day to the enjoyment of their rights, their difficult living
conditions, and the problems related to the possession and ownership of their
ancestral lands.
“I
encourage the Government to increase efforts to ensure that indigenous peoples’
rights are respected, their participation in decision-making processes is
guaranteed and their right to prior consultation is exercised,” she said.
In
Paraguay, indigenous peoples are increasingly being expelled and chased from
their ancestral homes mainly due to deforestation to give space and for
livestock and agriculture implementation, in particular to soy production. The
Government has tried to tackle the issue of land titles by reclaiming land
illegally obtained or buying back land from farmers. But progress has been
slow.
In
August 2011, the Inter-American Court of Human
Rights, one of the bodies that comprises the inter-American system for the
promotion and protection of human rights, commended the recognition by the
Government of one of the indigenous groups’ property rights and its
formalization through the official transfer of the respective land title.
“I
urge the Government to enact comprehensive legislation and policies to address
the highly unequal land distribution and thus protect the rights of indigenous
peoples and other communities,” Kang said.
During
her visit, Kang met with the Maká community, one of the 20 existing indigenous
groups in the country, living 25 km outside Asunción, the capital. The Maká
community suffers from discrimination, lives under inadequate housing
conditions and lacks access to basic services. Even though they live in urban
areas, they still use their own language.
“The
international community recognizes that indigenous peoples have suffered a
lot,” she told representatives of the community. “Maybe we cannot change
everything but we can support indigenous communities in their fight against
discrimination.”
Kang
acknowledged that the Government of Paraguay has made some progress to protect
and respect indigenous peoples’ rights in the country. An important development
is the recent creation of special offices within institutions such as the
Ministries of Health and Education.
However,
the lack of institutional autonomy, corruption, insufficient resources and lack
of authority over other State entities constitute an obstacle to making a real
impact on public policies regarding this sector of the population.
“The
promotion and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples are very important
for the UN and remain a major priority for our Office,” Kang said. “The UN
Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – of which Paraguay is a
signatory – is the guide and the solution to ensure that the rights of
indigenous peoples are respected.”