News

Latest updates

IWGIA is following the situation of indigenous peoples and their rights. Get the latest updates, alerts, stories and up-to-date facts here. Click here for more news.

Joint Statement of AIPP, Land is Life, HWF, NIWA and IWGIA on the 30th Anniversary of the Enforced Disappearance of Indigenous Woman Leader Kalpana Chakma in CHT

Three Decades of Impunity Must End; Call for Independent Investigation and UN Vetting Reform

Thirty years after the enforced disappearance of Indigenous woman leader Kalpana Chakma, justice remains denied. Kalpana Chakma, an Indigenous woman leader from the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), was abducted on 12 June 1996, allegedly by members of the security forces operating in the region. Three decades later, the crime remains ongoing as her fate and whereabouts remain unknown.

Continue Reading

Access to Justice Denied: Sexual Violence Against Indigenous Women and Girls in Bangladesh

BY RANI YAN YAN FOR INDIGENOUS DEBATES

Sexual assault, including rape and murder after rape, is the most prevalent form of violence perpetrated against Indigenous women and girls in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). Indigenous women and girls live under a "culture of impunity" where sexual violence is used as a weapon of political and territorial control. The perpetuation of a culture of impunity is not the result of mere weak institutions but rather a consequence of the systematic and deliberate State oppression of Indigenous Peoples, involving militarization and settler expansion in the region.

Continue Reading

Access to Justice for Indigenous Women and Girls in Northeast India

By Samir Talati for Indigenous Debates

In Northeast India, Indigenous women and girls encounter multiple and intersecting barriers to justice arising from historical marginalisation, dispossession of land and resources, and power relations. While constitutional safeguards and protective legislation exist formally, the lived reality of Indigenous women reveals a profound contradiction between legal equality and social inequality. This contradiction is particularly stark where customary laws govern everyday life but are subordinated to a formal legal system rooted in colonialism, private property and state intervention. The question of access to justice for women must therefore be framed in close relation to identity, Indigeneity, and sustenance.

Continue Reading

June Climate Meetings in Bonn provide important opportunity for Indigenous Peoples

In partnership with the Indigenous Peoples’ constituency, IWGIA will participate and engage in advocacy at the UNFCCC June Climate Meetings (SB 64) in Bonn, Germany, 8-18 June 2026.

SB 64 constitutes an important opportunity for Indigenous Peoples to build on the momentum from last year's UNFCCC COP 30 in Belém, Brazil. For Indigenous Peoples, the most significant advancement of COP 30 was contained in the Just Transition Work Programme decision.

Continue Reading

Cultural Barriers in Indigenous Pastoralist Women and Girls’ Access to Justice in Tanzania

By Maanda Ngoitiko Sinyati for Indigenous Debates

Male-dominated decision-making structures and traditional governance systems reinforce gender hierarchies in disputes over land, inheritance, and marriage. For pastoralist women, justice entails being respected, heard, and recognized, regardless of gender, ethnicity, or literacy. It also means protection from violence, secure access to land and livestock, and meaningful participation in decision-making processes that shape community life. The gap between international commitments and lived realities remains profound.

Continue Reading

STAY CONNECTED

About IWGIA

IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs - is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting and defending Indigenous Peoples’ rights. Read more.

For media inquiries click here

Indigenous World

IWGIA's global report, the Indigenous World, provides an update of the current situation for Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Read The Indigenous World.

Subscribe to our newsletter

Contact IWGIA

Prinsessegade 29 B, 3rd floor
DK 1422 Copenhagen
Denmark
Phone: (+45) 53 73 28 30
E-mail: iwgia@iwgia.org
CVR: 81294410

Report possible misconduct, fraud, or corruption

 instagram social icon facebook_social_icon.png   youtuble_logo_icon.png  linkedin_social_icon.png  

NOTE! This site uses cookies and similar technologies.

If you do not change browser settings, you agree to it. Learn more

I understand

Joomla! Debug Console

Session

Profile Information

Memory Usage

Database Queries