Violence against Indigenous Women and Girls: A Complex Phenomenon

Publisher: AIPP & Forest Peoples Programme (FPP)
Number of pages: 12
Publication language: English
Release year: 2013

Tags: Women, Human rights

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 and around the world has increasingly drawn attention to the need for specific analysis and understanding to be established of the nature and forms of such violence.

This note also intends to shed light on the need to respect rights in totality, to simultaneously respect and protect the individual and collective rights of indigenous women.The nature of violence against indigenous women and girls is often assumed to be the same as the broader nature of violence against women. However as shown through the experiences of indigenous women in Asia and recounted here, violence against indigenous women and girls often takes very specific forms. Violence can be enacted on the collective cultural, social and economic rights of indigenous peoples and such violence has very specific impacts on women and girls. How we understand this violence and how we understand the impact of disturbing the relationship between indigenous women and the lands and resources on which they depend will change how we fight such impacts.

Indigenous peoples in Asia are gaining increasing recognition of their status as indigenous peoples, but many continue to face a lack of recognition by their own governments and others. In this statement we are referring to peoples who may be known by other terms in their own countries, as ‘ethnic minorities’, or ‘hill tribes’, or ‘adivasi’, and our reference is inclusive of all peoples who chose to self-define as ‘indigenous’ regardless of national government terminology.

This publication has been published with the support from IWGIA and others.

Download publication

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