The strategy adopted by the Indigenous women's movement to confront the structural inequalities they face in all countries of the world has been to walk together, collectively influencing strategic spaces from the local to the global level, both socially and politically. Practically, this means
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With disability rates on the rise, the global Indigenous community is confronted with profound challenges. An estimated 54 million Indigenous individuals face disabilities, of whom 28 million are Indigenous women. Within the Asia Pacific region alone, 45 million Indigenous persons with
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In Canada, the contemporary Indigenous rights and governance framework varies across the country. The Constitution Act of 1982, as well as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, explicitly recognize Aboriginal and Treaty rights and three groups of Aboriginal Peoples (commonly referred to
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Kalaallit Nunaat (Greenland) has been a self-governing country since 1979 within the Kingdom of Denmark (or Danish Realm), which consists of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Kalaallit Nunaat. The country is a 2 million km2 island in the Arctic whose population is 88.9% Greenlandic
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In India, some 705 ethnic groups are listed as Scheduled Tribes. In central India, the Scheduled Tribes are usually referred to as Adivasis, which literally means original inhabitants, Indigenous Peoples.[i] With an estimated population
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Gabon's total population is estimated at 2,397,368. The percentage of Indigenous Peoples in Gabon is thought to be less than 1% of the national population, or between 18,000 and 20,000 people.[i] This estimate will become clearer when the final
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Among Cameroon’s more than 20 million inhabitants, some communities self-identify as Indigenous. These include the hunter/gatherers (Pygmies), the Mbororo pastoralists and the Kirdi.
The Constitution of the Republic of Cameroon uses the terms Indigenous and minorities in its preamble;
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Amazigh – eller imazighen i flertal – er det selvnavngivne demonym for de oprindelige folk bosat i en lang række nordafrikanske lande såsom Libyen, Niger, Algeriet og Marokko.
Kan sociale bevægelser udfordre de globale magtmonopoler og skabe en mere ligeværdig verden med respekt for menneskerettigheder? Dette søgte Copenhagen People Power Conference at besvare den 28/9 2023. Den malaysiske aktivist for oprindelige folk,
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Commission on the Status of Women
Sixty-seventh session
Priority theme; Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and
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The room is filled with singing voices, and I am annoyed with myself because I missed the opportunity to press record on my phone. It is moving to hear these voices because they followed a series of tough stories shared by the very women who are now dancing, laughing, smiling and singing loudly
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At its 82nd session on 26 October, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted ...
This written statement is respectfully submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women in response to the priority theme; Innovation and technological change, and education in the digital age for achieving gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.
BY NIKITA BULANIN FOR DEBATES INDÍGENAS
Lesle Jansen, an environmental lawyer and Indigenous Peoples rights activist from South Africa is a member of
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BY DELMY TANIA CRUZ HERNÁNDEZ FOR DEBATES INDÍGENAS
The Zapatista journey has marked the lives of Indigenous peoples and peasant communities with
...With their wisdom, energy and empowerment, Indigenous women are agents of change both in their own lives, as Indigenous women, and in the lives of their peoples, as members of their communities. They plant the seeds with which to defend and demand full exercise of their individual and
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BY ONAMIAP FOR DEBATES INDÍGENAS
Under the pretext of fighting against terrorism and drug trafficking, Congress approved, by insistence, Law
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BY SIGNE LETH FOR DEBATES INDÍGENAS
Indigenous Women around the world face disproportional levels of violence and harassment due to past and present
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In the past two decades, the United Nations has increasingly focused attention on the human rights of Indigenous Peoples. A growing set of UN treaty bodies (TB’s) and mechanisms continually recommend Member States to improve the rights of Indigenous Women.
The Indigenous World is the unique result of a collaborative effort between Indigenous and non-indigenous activists and scholars who voluntarily document and report on the situation of Indigenous Peoples’ rights. For 36 consecutive years IWGIA has published The Indigenous World in
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The consequences of climate change are often felt most acutely by Indigenous Peoples and have gendered impacts. Forced migration as a result of climate change and water scarcity are susceptible of making Indigenous women and girls more vulnerable to human rights abuses.
The consequences of climate change are often felt most acutely by Indigenous Peoples and have gendered impacts. Forced migration as a result of climate change and water scarcity are susceptible of making Indigenous women and girls more vulnerable to human rights abuses.
With their wisdom, energy and empowerment, Indigenous women are agents of change both in their own lives, as Indigenous women, and in the lives of their peoples, as members of their communities. They plant the seeds with which to defend and demand full exercise of their individual and
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Indigenous Peoples all over the world face systemic discrimination rooted in persistent racism as well as past and present colonialism. Many Indigenous communities have been forcefully relocated, lands have been taken away, forests have been destroyed, mountains have been mined and valleys have
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There are numerous challenges for Indigenous Women in relation to climate change. Indigenous Women are more severely affected by the challenges to produce or collect sufficient food, or challenges of water scarcity because of climate change (flooding, drought, unpredictable weather,
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Drafting of the General Recommendation on the Rights of Indigenous Women and Girls
With this written submission, the International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) seeks to bring forward the voices, perspectives and experiences of indigenous women and girls,
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With this written submission, the International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) seeks to bring forward the voices, perspectives and experiences of indigenous women and girls, particularly from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Arctic, and to include them in the development of CEDAW’s
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For decades, organized Indigenous women have wondered why some deaths in Mexico are more visible than others. Who decides which bodies matter? It’s time to start talking about the violence perpetrated against us, Indigenous women. From within our community organizations, we are working to
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Official statistics obscure the fact that the number of criminalized individuals and communities belonging to Indigenous Peoples far exceeds the number of prisoners who actually self-identify as Indigenous, because these figures exclude family members devoted to supporting them as well as
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Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), Network of Indigenous Women in Asia (NIWA) and Asia Indigenous Youth Platform (AIYP) strongly condemn the gruesome killing of an Indigenous girl, Sumila Ronghangpi, in Assam, Northeast India.
Racism and patriarchy present profound challenges within the Guatemalan prison system. The penal system is a reflection of the discrimination experienced by Indigenous women all over: for being women, Indigenous and poor. In the face of this adversity, the Colectivo Artesana promotes public
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The criminal procedure confronted by Reina Meraz, a Bolivian immigrant woman, exposes a double issue of the Argentinian judicial system: the need to train judicial officers in both gender perspective and interculturalism. Reina was subjected to a procedure that neglected her native tongue,
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By delving into the lives and premature deaths of four members of the Hermanas en la Sombra Editorial Collective, the author shares her insights on her 12 years long-work with Indigenous women in prison: the racism that exists in prisons, the concealment of ethnic profiles during jail
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The international agenda for defending the human rights of Indigenous women seemed promising in 2020 given the Beijing +25 anniversary. We in the International Indigenous Women's Forum (FIMI) were organising to design a clear Advocacy Route as well to prepare for our own organisation’s 20th
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This book contains a series of essays predominantly written by Indigenous women from Myanmar. The essays show Indigenous women to be at the crux of climate change in Myanmar.
The result of a collective and community-led data-gathering exercise relying on the Indigenous Navigator framework and tools, this report identifies and discusses the experiences, needs, concerns and aspirations of indigenous women in 11 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The report
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In Kenya, the peoples who identify with the Indigenous movement are mainly pastoralists and hunter-gatherers, as well as some fisher peoples and small farming communities. Pastoralists are estimated to comprise 25% of the national population, while the largest individual community of
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The Indigenous Peoples of Namibia include the San, the Ovatue and Ovatjimba, and potentially a number of other peoples including the Damara and Nama. Taken together, the Indigenous Peoples of Namibia represent some 8% of the total population of the country which was 2,533,244 in 2019. The San
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In India, 705 ethnic groups are recognised as Scheduled Tribes. In central India, the Scheduled Tribes are usually referred to as Adivasis, which literally means Indigenous Peoples.1 With an estimated population of 104 million, they comprise 8.6% of the total population.
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According to the 2011 Census, the Indigenous nationalities (Adivasi Janajati) of Nepal make up 36% of the total population of 29.8 million,1 although Indigenous Peoples’ organisations claim a larger figure of more than 50%. The 2011 Census listed the population as belonging
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Argentina comprises 23 provinces with a total population of approximately 40 million. The most recent national census (2010) gave a total of 955,032 people who self-identify as descended from or belonging to an Indigenous people. There are 35 different officially recognised
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Since the 2017 census,1 and despite constant increases in numbers since the 1990s, the Indigenous population has not shown any great changes. When considering their demographic for public policy and regulatory purposes, they are still given as 12.8% of the total population, or
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There are 68 different Indigenous Peoples that inhabit Mexican territory, each of which speaks a native language of their own. These languages form 11 linguistic families, comprised by 364 dialectal variants. According to the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI), 25.7 million
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The 2010 national census concluded that 438,559 or 12.8% of the country’s 3.4 million inhabitants self-identified as Indigenous. The Gunadule, Emberá, Wounaan, Ngäbe, Buglé, Naso Tjer Di and Bri Bri peoples have all obtained recognition and had their territories demarcated, albeit according to
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The number of Indigenous people in the United States of America is estimated at between 2.5 and 6 million,1 of which around 20% live in American Indian areas or Alaska Native villages. Indigenous Peoples in the United States are more commonly referred to as Native groups. The state
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The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the principal global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and empowerment of women. It is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
The CSW is instrumental in promoting
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The Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous People’s (EMRIP)[1] is a subsidiary body of the Human Rights Council composed of seven independent members, one from each of the seven indigenous sociocultural regions: Africa; Asia; the Arctic; Central and
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The Central African Republic (CAR) lies at the heart of the African continent, far from any coastline. It straddles the equator and thus enjoys a tropical climate. Its ecosystem comprises savanna woodland and steppe in the north, gallery forest in the centre and dense tropical rainforest in the
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Agnes Karao Mgema, from the Parakuyo patoralists group in Tanzania, took the floor. She is the chair of Nalepo, a community based organisation that has mobilised their community to support girls from families that failed to take them to school, as well as those who were forced to drop out and
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The situation for Indigenous Peoples in Bangladesh in many ways echoes the situation of other Indigenous Peoples in Asia: they face heavy militarization; they are stigmatized as anti-national for wanting to be included in decisions affecting their lives – such as industrial development taking
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Against all the odds, and despite the challenges that climate change represents for Latin America, women are demonstrating day in, day out that they have the ideas and the unique and essential skills to propose a radical change in the matrix of civilisation at this crucial point in
In Myanmar, women manage forests and depend on them for their livelihoods, but their tenure over these forests is insecure. Women often have distinct roles in managing forests as compared to men, and therefore also have expert knowledge about forests and different priorities for how forests are
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The Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is the main international intergovernmental body devoted exclusively to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. It plays a crucial role in promoting women’s rights, documenting the reality in which women throughout the world live, and
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Myanmar is one of the most vulnerable countries in the world to climate change, with the threat of flooding, drought, cyclones, and changing rainfall patters threatening lives and livelihoods.1 Myanmar’s National Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan (2017) outlines the major risks that
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Naga society is a casteless and classless society where, traditionally, women have enjoyed a high social positioning and a fair spirit of independence, playing very central roles in family and community affairs; however, it is also a patriarchal, patrilineal and patrilocal society where,
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INVESTIGACIÓN: Un nuevo informe temático de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) presenta y sistematiza las principales problemáticas a las que se enfrentan las mujeres indígenas en las Américas.
Standing tall, head held high, her dignity on full display. That’s the image of an empowered indigenous woman confronting discrimination and violence, saying “enough is enough” to the tragic impact of extractive industries and other development projects in her ancestral territories. The play of
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The Samburu are a Nilotic community who reside in Northern Kenya. One cultural practice among the Samburu community is Girl-Child Beading. This practice sanctions a non-marital sexual relationship between Samburu men in the ‘warrior’ age group and young Samburu girls (usually between the ages
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This book is dedicated to all the indigenous tribal women and men of India who have sacrificed their lives to protect 'Mother Earth', indigenous identity and culture; to martyrs of the freedom movement; to the thousands of innocent women, men and children who are victims of violence in the
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The case of the indigenous women of Sepur Zarco, who have suffered from sexual violence, finally comes to court next week. They will be testifying against impunity.
In honour of International Women’s Day, we would like to take the opportunity to highlight one of our partner projects, where indigenous women have taken the lead and confronted challenges facing their community. In 2013, IWGIA partnered with the Sabah Women Action Resource Group (SAWO) to
...En el día internacional de la mujer, mujeres indígenas reafirman su identidad y su defensa a la Madre Tierra. Por otro lado, denuncian que siguen siendo víctimas de discriminación, registrando los más altos índices de pobreza, así como la peor atención en salud y educación.
Women – both indigenous and non-indigenous – have actively engaged in international and national REDD+ processes to raise their concerns regarding the potential negative impact of REDD+ on women, and to assert their right to equally participate in negotiations, planning and implementation of
...More than 60 Indigenous Women from Across the World Come Together to Address their Critical Role in Combating Climate Change.
At an international forum on community land and resource rights which took place 15 and 16 July, women from across the world called for
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They call for all of those committed to a better future to participate in the upcoming Peoples Climate Summit to be held in Lima, parallel to the official COP20.
A National Conference of Women for Climate Justice in Defense of Mother Earth signed a statement to raise
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This report examines selected cases of violence against women and girls in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) in 2011 and 2012. It also discusses relevant legal contexts and, based on four key principles, provides recommendations to the government and civil society to address violence against
...Kapaeeng Foundation, International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC), International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA), and Shimin Gaikou Centre organized an event titled "Marginalization and Impunity: Violence in the Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh" during the 13th
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Indigenous women face a range of problems related to the violation of their rights. This note focuses on the causes and how they can be addressed in the post-2015 development agenda. It has been prepared by the International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) in collabo-ration with
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This report on the Southeast Asia Consultation on Development, Access to Justice and the Human Rights of Indigenous women is intended as a material to be used by indigenous women, advocates, policy-makers and the public for the promotion, protection and respect of the rights of indigenous women
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This briefing paper is prepared as part of the advocacy of the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) for the respect, protection and recognition of the human rights of indigenous women. In this paper, the focus is on access to justice for indigenous women in Southeast Asia facing
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The briefing paper analyses how gender relations in Asian indigenous societies have undergone and continue to undergo changes in response to external factors. Finally it draws conclusions and recommendations based on addressing problems through empowering indigenous women in traditional
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This briefing note, published by the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) and Forest Peoples Programme, is intended to develop discussion and thought about the complexity of the challenges of violence against indigenous women and girls. Work being done by indigenous women’s organisations in Asia
...In the publication “HerStory of Empowerment, Leadership and Justice” 18 indigenous women share their stories. These stories echo the realities on the ground
...On February 18 the International Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) condemned the killing of an indigenous woman in Kagrachari on February 15. The commission called upon the Government to ensure justice by providing exemplary punishment to the perpetrators. The Commission further
...In the statement it is pointed out that Jumma girls and women have been targets of sexual violence since the late 1970s. A report of the Chittagong Hill Tracts Commission (CHTC) from 1991 documents that in 1983, a secret memorandum was circulated to all army officers in the CHT encouraging them
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Indigenous Women of the Americas today requested John Ashe, President of the United Nations General Assembly, to designate an indigenous delegate who, together with the states’ representative, will facilitate the process of the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples to be held this
...The Special Rapporteur James Anaya presented his comments during the International Expert Group Meeting held in New York last week. Anaya opened the conference outlining the barriers faced by indigenous peoples in regard to the realization of their right to health, including
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This publication is a collection of stories of struggle of some indigenous women in Asia who directly face the negative impacts of mining.
These testimonies have been shared earlier in the following fora:
This report describes pilot research conducted by the Samburu Women Trust (SWT), formerly known as SWEEDO), a community based organization located in Nanyuki, Kenya. The research focused on a practice known as “beading,” which can be briefly described as a community-sanctioned, non-marital
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Samburu Women Trust (SWT): The untold stories of women and girls in Samburu community
When discussing, planning and implementing sustainable development and environmental conservation project, a most important voice often tends to remain unheard: the voice of indigenous women. This despite the fact that indigenous women have valuable and specialized knowledge and experience with
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The aim of the guidelines is to offer conceptual and practical tools for improving natural resource management activities and to open a dialogue among practitioners as to how gender and indigenous concerns can best become an integrated part of any natural resource management process anywhere in
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This newsletter is an outcome of a project implemented by SWEEDO in Kenya. The project focuses on Samburu womens rights in relation to traditional practises. Indigenous pastoralist women in northern Kenya, including the Samburu women, suffer from many human rights violations as both belonging
...The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) adopted recommendations on combating violence against indigenous women and girls at its 11th session in May 2012. The recommendations were based on those from the International Expert Group Meeting on Combating Violence against Indigenous
...An 11-year old indigenous Jumma girl was allegedly raped, and then murdered, by a non-indigenous Bengali settler, Ibrahim in Longudu sub-district of the Chittagong Hill Tracts region on 9 May who has apparently been arrested following widespread protests against the incident.
For two days, April 15-16, 2012, more than 200 women representing various indigenous communities in Indonesia gathered on Doa Dukono Hill in Tobelo, North Halmahera, a regency in North Maluku, to form an organization that focuses on the country’s indigenous women’s movement — an inseparable
...In the first ever National Indigenous Women Conference held in Dhaka, indigenous women leaders and representatives of indigenous women’s organisations formed a network naming Bangladesh Indigenous Women Network (BIWN) aiming at realising their rights through social, economic, political and
..."Under the shadow of the Guamúchil" is a documentary made during the workshop "Life Stories", by Aida Hernandez Castillo, within the Atlacholoaya Morelos prison in Mexico, between 2008 and 2009. Besides the video, which can now be watched in English, a book about the women has been published in
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Original title: La Otra Palabra (Ciesas 1998)
On December 22nd 1997, 32 women and 13 men in the los Naranjos encampment for displaced people in the community of Acteal, Chiapas, Mexico, were assasinated by heavily armed men. Various human rights organisations wrote detailed reports of
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With articles from Asia, Latin America, Northern Scandivia, Africa & the Pacific this issue focuses on indigenous women; their special situation, their hopes and aspirations at the beginning of a new millenium. The articles reflect very clearly the serious problems indigenous women face;
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"Indigenous Women: The Right to a Voice" contains a collection of articles and interviews focusing on the situation of indigenous women today. With a few exceptions, the articles have been written by female indigenous grass roots activists and academics from the Americas, Africa, Asia and
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This first volume of "Indigenous Women on the Move" is composed of 9 articles written by indigenous women wherein they have attempted to show their distinct realities in their different areas of the world. But distinct realities, notwithstanding, and each with their own peculiarities,
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IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs - is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting and defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Read more.
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IWGIA's global report, the Indigenous World, provides an update of the current situation for Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Read The Indigenous World.
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