Section » Latin America Indigenous Issues

Ecuador attempting to declare oil resources in Yasuni as national interest

Seenews.com reported that Ecuador’s government has asked the parliament to declare of national interest the oil resources in the Ishpingo-Tambococha-Tiputini (ITT) area in the Yasuni national park, in the Amazon region. The state wants to develop oil blocks 31 and 43, the latter called ITT, where there is no information about the presence of isolated indigenous people.The blocks are expected to reach the highest production level of 225,000 barrels per day two years after starting production. Ecuador will thus achieve a record-high output of 275 million barrels a year. Read Article
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Ecuador: Indigenous, Enviromental groups call for vote on drilling in Yasuni

IPSNEWS.NET reported that the Ecuadorean government’s decision to allow oil drilling in the Yasuní National Park, one of the most biodiverse areas of the planet, has caused alarm among environmentalists and indigenous people, who are calling for a referendum on the issue. President Rafael Correa ordered the shelving of the Yasuní-ITT Initiative, a plan to […]

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Social Movements in Ecuador

Author Paul Dosh – Although social movement continue to often rely on a standard repertoire of protest tactics, movement objectives have evolved considerably. During the Correa period, for example, Ecuador’s Indigenous movements have made steady efforts to advance concrete policy proposals. As in other Latin American nations, this represents a shift from the practices of […]

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Tribe fighting for existence in Ecuador’s Amazon territory

Conflict between the tribes Huaorani and Tagaeri-Taromenane Miamiherald.com reported…Ivonne Yánez with the Acción Ecológica environmental group, which works extensively in the area, says the recurring violence is a direct effect of the outside pressures on these ancestral communities. Starting in the 1950s, U.S. missionaries and oil companies began operating in the area, bringing massive changes. […]

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Despite IACHR Ruling, Ecuador fails to apologize to Sarayaku Indians

The government of Ecuador must do more to protect the human rights of the indigenous people of Sarayaku if it is to fully comply with an international court ruling said Amnesty International. A year ago today the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) ruled that Ecuador must apologize, consult with and recompense the Sarayaku people […]

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Ecuador: Pachakutik Leader, Pepe Acacho to serve prison time for terrorism

Eluniverso.com reported that Assemblyman Pachakutik, Pepe Acacho declared Wednesday as political persecution government of Rafael Correa and announced to be delivered to justice to pay his conviction for sabotage and terrorism issued last Friday against long as “jail either to innocent “. “Within two months of being in office as elected Assemblyman Morona Santiago, unfortunately […]

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Amazonas, Brazil: Suspects Arrested for Sexually Exploiting Indigenous Children

On July 3, 2013 Globo reported that the Federal Prosecutor in Amazonas arrested ten suspects accused of sexual exploitation against indigenous children and adolescents of São Gabriel da Cachoeira. The suspects as well, are accused of producing pornographic videos of these indigenous children. 16 children confirmed to being victims of abuse, rape, and sexual exploitation. […]

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Pará, Brazil: Indians Release Hostages After Government Negotiations

Globo reported on June 24, 2013 that Mundurukú Indians in Jacareacanga, Pará, released three hostages who were captured on Friday (21) after negotiations with the Federal government agreed to suspend environmental studies in anticipation of building two power plants in the region. The three hostages are researchers who work for Eletrobras. The Indians seized all […]

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Brazil: Talks About Use of Drug Land to Resolve Indian-Farmer Land Dispute

On June 13, 2013, Globo reported that Justice Minister José Eduardo Cardozo, farmers, indigenous representatives, as well as members of the government, discussed the possibility of using land that has been confiscated for illegal plantation of drug plants as a possible solution to end the land dispute between the Indians and farmers. However, according to […]

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Indigenous People in Brazil Murdered Increases by 269%

ultimosegundo.ig.com.br reported on June 7, 2013, that the number of indigenous people murdered, increased by 269% during the Lula and Dilma administration, compared to the eight-year term of Fernando Henrique Cardoso. The Indigenous Missionary Council (CIMI) reported that during the Cardoso administration, there was an average of 20.8 deaths per year compared to Lula with […]

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Mato Grosso, Brazil: Drug Abuse Grows in Indigenous Communities

midianews.com.br reported on June 2, 2013 that in Mato Grosso; a state with one of the highest numbers of indigenous people, Indians are suffering from drug addiction; primarily that of cocaine base paste and crack. The government is still uncertain of how to effectively identify and handle the situation. Lectures in such communities have been […]

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Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil: President Orders “Pacification” Operation in Indigenous Areas

dm.com.br reported on June 2, 2013 that President Dilma requested her staff quickly implement a “pacification” operation in areas of conflict between Indians and farmers in Mato Grosso do Sul. Together, Dilma and her staff will examine the many disputes occurring in these indigenous regions. A dialogue will be held between government officials and small […]

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Pará, Brazil: Indians Discuss Relocation During Hydroelectric Plant Project

jb.com.br reported on May 31, 2013 that after seizing the main construction site of the hydroelectric plant of Belo Monte in Pará for four days, a group of Indians have agreed to travel to Brasilia on June 5 to meet and discuss with government representatives to decide the relocation of Indians away from the construction […]

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Amazonas, Brazil: Professor Detained for Sexually Exploiting Indigenous Girls

Globo reported on May 27, 2013 that “Operation Cunhatã” arrested the tenth suspect accused of sexually exploiting indigenous girls in São Gabriel da Cachoeira, Amazonas. According to the federal police, the last suspect detained is a professor at a state school. Research shows that 30 indigenous girls between the age of 10 and 16 were […]

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Ecuador: Indigenous group opts for resistance to mining law

The ECUARUNARI require the National Assembly to conduct pre-legislative consultation and aligned to the resistance to the project urgently reform the Mining Law, the deadline for the approval expires on June 15. These resolutions were taken yesterday at the fourth congress of this branch of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE). This sector […]

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Ecuador files petitions of “Urgent Action” regarding La Hora’s report of alleged Indigenous massacre

Andes.info.ec reported that the Ministry of Justice turned in two “Urgent Action” petitions (proceedings prior to a lawsuit) to the nation’s Attorney General’s Office against the news agency, La Hora, for having published sensationalist information that had not been confirmed nor verified on the alleged massacre of indigenous peoples in the Ecuadorian Amazon. On the […]

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Venezuela: Yukpa Indigenous Demand Land Rights

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Ecuador: Report of at least 18 deaths in conflict between Waorani and Taromenane

An Indian attack against an Aboriginal clan in voluntary isolation in the Amazon occurred, left at least 18 dead, said Thursday the native leader Gilberto Nenquimo. “After consultation with a person who participated in the attack, I have information that there are 18 dead, men and older women without children also died,” said Nenquimo from […]

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Ecuador: Group of Huaorani tribe being investigated in attack of uncontacted tribe Tagaeris

This time, a group of Huaorani have attacked an uncontacted tribe, allegedly in retaliation for the murder of Ompore Omeway, 70 years old, and his wife, Buganei Cayga, 64, which occurred on March 4, done that Prosecutor investigates. The couple’s crime occurred in a path leading to the house of the victims, in a place […]

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Brazil: Government of Amazonas to Extend Agriculture Program to 23 New Cities

On March 19, 2013, Portal Tabatinga reported that the state government of Amazonas plans to invest in 23 new municipalities this year, as part of an effort to promote indigenous farming.  The project will entail the donation of seeds, technical assistance, and monetary investment to indigenous farmers in order to boost the local economies.  The […]

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Ecuador: Unconctacted tribe kill two Waorani Indians

nationalgeographic.com reported that Native officials and conservationists fear possible reprisals in eastern Ecuador following an attack by uncontacted tribesmen that killed two Waorani Indians last week. According to a preliminary investigation by officials from the Orellana Province public prosecutor’s office, the victims were speared to death last Tuesday morning while walking near their village of […]

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Residents of Quilombo in Bahia, Brazil, Protest over Naval Actions

On March 6, 2013, A Tarde reported that residents of a quilombo community in Bahia are protesting against actions recently taken by the Brazilian Navy to take land claimed by the residents in Simões Filho, part of the Salvador Metropolitan Area.  Close to 400 protesters stood in front of the Federal Attorneys’ Office today, requesting […]

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Police Arrest 83 Year-Old in Brazil For Sexual Assault of Minor

On February 11, 2013, A Crítica reported that an 83 year-old man from Manaus, the state capital of Amazonas, was arrested by local police yesterday.  He was suspected of sexually assaulting a 14 year-old indigenous girl.  The tip came after a local restaurant owner accused the man of assault after he claimed the young girl […]

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Colombia: Three Awá Indigenous children found, allegedly murdered by FARC in 2011

Barbacoas Nariño Colombia: A Prosecutor located a mass grave with the bodies of three Awá children. They were allegedly kidnapped and murdered in the southwest part of the country by the FARC in September, 2011. The children’s bodies were found in a jungle area of ​​the village Barbacoas on Friday February 8, 2013, in the […]

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Chile: Residents of Melipeuco oppose proposed hydroelectric facility

Various sectors in the municipality of Melipeuco expressed their concerns about the installation of the “past Hydroelectric Corner”, which, according to them, would bring disastrous consequences for the local community. n a letter to the mayor, the community organized a complaint made ​​Melipeuco malpractices and irregularities that would incur the hydroelectric project seeking to intervene […]

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Federal Prosecutors Seek Damages against Brazilian Company in Pará

On January 31, 2013, Diário do Pará reported that federal prosecutors are asking federal courts to take legal action against a Brazilian company for a breach of contract with local indigenous leaders.  The area in question is located in Belo Monte, about 850 kilometers from Belém, the capital of Pará.  Norte Energia S.A. is accused […]

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Latin America: Peasant leader warns growing threat of violence against huma rights defenders

This entry was written by our regular contributor Asier Hernando (@ asierhm). Oxfam today launched an international campaign of signatures to return their land to 769 farming families. On the afternoon of Thursday 24 in Guatemala, and l CUC peasant leader Daniel Pascual death threats and assaults suffered by unidentified men who were demonstrating in […]

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Brazil: Indigenous group blocks truckers with illegal timber harvested from their lands

greenpeace.org reported that trucks filled with timber from illegal logging operations in the Amazon have been stopped in their tracks by an indigenous village protesting the continued exploitation of their lands. With little or no support from the local or federal authorities, the Pukobjê-Gavião people in Maranhão state, Brazil, are refusing to stand aside as […]

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Chile: residents of Easter Island threaten declaration of independence

Guardian.co.uk reported that Easter Island, a Pacific paradise only 164 sq km in size, has seen demonstrations in recent months. The indigenous Rapa Nui – the Polynesian name for the island and people – assert that Chile has robbed them of their ancestral lands. They are threatening to declare independence and lodge a complaint against […]

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Ecuador: Kichwa tribe vows to fight to the end to protect their area of the Amazon forest from oil exploration

guardian.co.uk reported in what looks set to be one of the most one-sided struggles in the history of Amazon forest conservation, an indigenous community of about 400 villagers is preparing to resist the Ecuadorean army and one of the biggest oil companies in South America. The Kichwa tribe on Sani Isla, who were using blowpipes […]

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Chile investigating possible link between Mapuche Indigenous group and FARC

Eluniverso.com reported ….. Despite the presence of military police, arson attacks continued Tuesday in the Mapuche region of Araucanía, in southern Chile, with victimless attacks against at least two properties, raising a serious conflict in one of the poorest regions of country. “We are in the presence of an organized terrorist group with terrorist methods, […]

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Chile: truckers block main road of country in protest of arson attacks

Thestarphoenix.com reported that Chilean truckers blocked the country’s main highway on Monday to protest a string of arson attacks, including one that killed an elderly couple in a southern region that Mapuche Indians call their usurped ancestral land. The couple’s death has triggered a national debate on the escalation of a conflict in Araucania, where […]

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Chile: Violence increases due to Mapuche conflict, anti-terrorism law enacted

A new and violent arson attack perpetrated yesterday in La Araucanía Chile ended with the death of a well-known local businessman and his wife, prompting the immediate reaction of President Sebastián Piñera to enact anti-terrorism law and order dreaded an unprecedented police enforcement in the area. The incident occurred at dawn on the farm Lumahue […]

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Tolé Panama: Indigenous announce peaceful protest for January 9, against hydroelectric project

The April 10 Movement, which groups Ngäbe-Bugle indigenous and peasants, convene a peaceful march this Wednesday, January 9, at 10:30 am from Tolé center to the American Way. The purpose of this march is to draw attention of the government of President Ricardo Martinelli, to the expert’s report to Barro Blanco hydroelectric project on the […]

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Ecuador: Amnesty International report on human rights

Background Six police officers were found guilty in July of crimes against state security following police protests over pay cuts in September 2010. In May President Correa narrowly won a 10-question referendum, which included a proposal to reform the judicial system as well as to regulate the media. In February, an Ecuadorian court fined the […]

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Paraguay: peasant leader murdered

Gunmen murdered one of the last surviving leaders of a peasant movement in Paraguay whose land dispute with a politician prompted the end of Fernando Lugo’s presidency in June. Vidal Vega, 48, was hit four times by bullets from a 12-gauge shotgun and a .38-caliber revolver fired by two unidentified men who sped away on […]

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Mexico’s Supreme Court orders release of two Indigenous activists from prison

Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the release of Jose Ramon Aniceto Gomez, 65, and Pascual Agustin Cruz, 49 , considered the only two prisoners of conscience in the country by human rights organizations. The two Indian water activists, served a seven-year sentence for a misdemeanor that hid a water conflict in the center of […]

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Mexico’s Supreme Court orders release of two Indigenous prisoners

Mexico’s Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered the release of Jose Ramon Aniceto Gomez, 65, and Pascual Agustin Cruz, 49 , considered the only two prisoners of conscience in the country by human rights organizations. The two Indian water activists, served a seven-year sentence for a misdemeanor that hid a water conflict in the center of […]

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Ecuador: Indigenous Justice

ABSTRACT This articles discusses the challenges and tensions encountered between indigenous and national systems of justice in Ecuador. The article highlights some of the major issues surrounding indigenous systems, namely, how crime should be dealt with, as well as how indigenous justice has been negatively portrayed in the media. The article suggests that indigenous communities […]

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Survey Results of Brazil’s Indigenous groups

The Confederation of Agriculture and Livestock of Brazil (CNA) has just released the results of a survey commissioned by Datafolha on indigenous peoples. The survey was done with a universe of 1,222 interviews in 32 villages with over 100 inhabitants, covering 20 ethnic groups who speak Portuguese. The idea was to provide a comprehensive profile […]

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Mexico: New Maya museum built in Cancun

The new Museum Maya Cancun, which cost about 18 million dollars (about 14 million) has been built taking into account the frequent hurricanes in the area. It has an emergency shelter area and three rooms are eight feet above ground level to prevent flooding, and work together is the “most important” INAH after construction of […]

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Mexico: Indigenous Rarámuris from Chihuahua recruited as mules for drug traffickers

Wwradio690.com reported that for their uncanny ability to travel long distances, the Indians rarámuris, natives of the state of Chihuahua, are used by Mexican drug traffickers sorry for drug trafficking to the U.S.. American lawyers, social workers and community members themselves Raramuri (“light feet”) or consulted by Efe Tarahumara indicate an alarming reality “(Joaquin) ‘El […]

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Ecuador, Indigenous community receives cell phones with applications in Kichwa language

Eluniverso.com reported that the Indigenous population of the canton Colta Kichwa (Chimborazo) began since Wednesday with cell phone service applications in their native language. The company takes delivery of this service at a cost of $ 44.99. According to records, there are 11,000 users Colta, as many will benefit applications in Kichwa, which means a […]

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Chile: Video entitled “Alert Massacre Chile”

La progresiva infiltración de agentes extranjeros en sur de chile es un signo inequívoco de que este territorio que alberga riquezas inimaginables será extirpado del suelo común para crear allí un nuevo estado. El destino que les espera a los chilenos es sumamente ocuro pues estas potencias no tienen ninguna misericordia con las poblaciones originarias […]

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Pochuta Guatemala: Indigenous members block entrance to village for a year

Armed and hooded neighbors Pochuta forgotten village, southwest of Guatemala, control entrance to their town, ready to give their life to prevent the place from which ousted the mayor a year ago, accusing him of corruption. “Welcome to San Miguel Pochuta. Neighbors organized, please download the glass and identify” reads a sign at the entrance […]

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Indigenous movement to march against insecurity in Cotopaxi

Lahora.com.ec reported that with white flags, this September 14 Indigenous and Campesino Movement of Cotopaxi (MICC) held a march for security. Mario Alomoto, MICC president, said in Cotopaxi have been stolen over 2,000 sheep and each is valued at $ 120. Read Article

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Venezuela states they have not found evidence of Yanomami massacre

The Venezuelan government said it “found no evidence” of the massacre of 80 indigenous Yanomami in a jungle area bordering Brazil that was denounced by NGOs and opposition MP. After “these visits we have made in the indigenous communities, we can tell the country that there was no evidence of any deaths or no evidence […]

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Ecuadorian-American kidnapped, held for ransom, released in the Amazon jungle

Eluniverso.com reported an Ecuadorian-American remained sequestered for 40 days. Today the Minister of Interior announced the delivery to their families. Borman Quenama Felipe, 24 years old, was abducted in a forested area in the province of Sucumbios. For he demanded $ 3 million. The National Police of Ecuador, through the Anti-Kidnapping and Extortion Unit, secured […]

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Venezuela: Members of Yanomami Indigenous group massacred by gold miners

SurvivalInternational.org reported gold miners in Venezuela have carried out a ‘massacre’ of isolated Yanomami Indians, according to reports received by Survival International. Witnesses of the aftermath described finding ‘burnt bodies and bones’ when they visited the community of Irotatheri in the country’s Momoi region, close to the border with Brazil. Initial reports suggest up to […]

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Santiago Chile: hunger strike by Mapuche Indigenous at UNICEF headquarters

Mapuche Representatives began a hunger strike at the headquarters of the United Nations Fund for Children (UNICEF, for its acronym in Spanish) in Santiago, to denounce the criminalization of the Mapuche and noted the lack of support from the Unicef ​​to the claims of the original community. The Indians remain a month at the headquarters […]

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Brazilian Army: Indigenous soldiers part of brigade that patrols, defends Amazon jungle

Located on the border of Brazil and Colombia, the Special Border Platoon San Joaquin is the most remote military base in the Brazilian Amazon. A fence and a runway of 1,200 meters rarely used separates the trenches and the homes of the soldiers in a village of indigenous ethnicity Kuripaco. Much of the 100 soldiers […]

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Panama authorities detain Indigenous in Mulatupo for drug trafficking

Units belonging to Battalion SENAFRONT Caribbean diligence conducted raid in company secretary Ramiro Free of Nargana personality, to a retirement community Mulatupo in Kuna Yala region, resulting in the seizure of 138 balls and three alleged drug marijuana manila paper wrappers kept inside a dried herb, which is presumed to be the aforementioned drugs, making […]

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AI reports Ecuador misused judicial system to stop protests

Ecuador’s judicial system is being used by the authorities to clamp down on indigenous and campesino leaders in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to prevent them from protesting against projects that will affect their environment and lands, said Amnesty International in a new report today. The report ‘So that no one can demand […]

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Colombia: Retired General guilty of murder

A judge on Friday convicted a retired Colombian general of murder and sentenced him to 25 years in prison for the killing of a peasant decapitated by a right-wing death squad in the late 1990s. Colombia’s chief prosecutor’s office says ex-Gen. Rito Alejo Del Rio did not physically participate in the murder of Marino Lopez […]

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Southern Cone: Labour exploitation of domestic workers and illegal migration

A complaint about alleged exploitation of domestic workers in Montevideo Bolivia alerted authorities about the vulnerability of these immigrants and the possible existence of human trafficking in Uruguay, despite its pioneering legislation in the world in this sector. “Today we have a concern for intraregional migration, which occurs in the corridors of Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, […]

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Economic Innovation for Indigenous People in Latin America

Indigenous children in the poverty-stricken regions of Latin America grow up in the shadows because they are often unregistered and unable to exercise their rights. As they grow and live illiterate, unemployed, and extremely poor lives, they have no identity and fall through the cracks of their nation-state’s civic system. They have no voice to […]

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Paraguay: Spanish businessman implicated in bulldozing, Ayoreo tribe at risk

One of Spain’s richest men has been implicated in the illegal bulldozing of a South American forest where the last uncontacted Indians outside the Amazon are hiding, following a recent raid by Paraguayan officials. Jacinto Rey González is President of ranching firm Carlos Casado SA, which is a subsidiary of Spanish construction and property giant […]

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Peru: Commission confirms existence of isolated indigenous group in area of planned highway

Alto Purus National Park and the Native Federation of Madre de Dios River and Tributaries (FENAMAD) in last July, made ​​a special patrol to line 343 which is the boundary of the Reserve Territorial Mother of God, created in 2002 in favor of Indigenous Peoples in Isolation and Initial Contact Vountario, in order to verify […]

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Peru: priest promoting highway in area of uncontacted indigenous group

Evidence of indigenous people living in “voluntary isolation” in a remote part of the Amazon has been found where an Italian Catholic priest is campaigning for Peru’s government to build a highway. The discovery is controversial because the priest has questioned the existence of the isolated people, sometimes referred to as uncontacted, who live without […]

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Amnesty International urges Paraguay to address issues of Indigenous

On the occasion of International Day of Indigenous Peoples, Amnesty International (AI) has urged on Thursday the new Government of Paraguay, to undertake measures for native peoples. “This happens, for full and immediate compliance with the judgments of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights in the case of ancestral land claims by indigenous communities in […]

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Indian Justice for cattle rustlers, Imbabura Province Ecuador (video)

El Comercio.com reported that robbery suspects were prosecuted in Imbabura Indigenous took into custody five people in community of Huaycopunto, Otavalo (Imbabura) for allegedly stealing cattle. Residents set one of the trucks of the suspects ablaze.

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IACHR orders Ecuador to pay $1.5 million to Sarayaku Indigenous association

About a million and half dollars in compensation to indigenous people Sarayaku, plus payment of court costs. This is the sentence imposed by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) to Ecuador for damage caused by oil activities to the ancestral lands of the Indians of the Amazon. According to the ruling, the money must […]

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Bolivia: injuries in clashes between opposition and pro-government Indigenous groups

Several people were injured Sunday, including a native leader, in clashes between opposition and pro-government Indians for control of a union office in Santa Cruz (eastern Bolivia), in protests against the construction of a road in a reserve ecology. The clashes began when a group that supports native opposition leader Adolfo Chavez decided to take […]

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Brazil: Indigenous fate of concern as result of Belo Monte Dam project

The Belo Monte Dam project along the Xingu River had its preliminary plans drawn under Brazil’s military dictatorship and was a highly controversial environmental project from the onset. However, construction of the dam has continued despite its serious backlash, mainly due to the influence of Brazil’s developing economy. But the indigenous population along the Xingu […]

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Peru: Hepatitis B cases increasing among Candoshi,Shapra,Wampis Indigenous groups

It was announced by the Medical Health Network Lido Soto Cáceres -Notes that although the percentage has declined relative to the past 2 years that have been increasing cases. -This would be occurring due to the fragility of the cold chain in health centers. There are 88 cases of chronic hepatitis B and Candoshi Shapra […]

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Brazil arrested 18 people in connection with the high profile killing of indigenous leader

Brazilian authorities have arrested 18 people in connection with the high profile killing of an indigenous leader by masked gunmen. Religious leader Nísio Gomes was murdered in front of his Guarani community in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul last November. His body has never been found. The list of suspects includes the owner […]

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Amnesty International: Ecuador report regarding government clamping down on Indigenous leaders right to protest

Ecuador’s judicial system is being used by the authorities to clamp down on indigenous and campesino leaders in what appears to be a deliberate attempt to prevent them from protesting against projects that will affect their environment and lands, said Amnesty International in a new report today. The report ‘So that no one can demand […]

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Peru: New section of Inca Trail discovered near Machu Picchu

An Inca trail over four kilometers, parallel to the traditional leading to Machu Picchu was discovered by a group of specialists and technicians of the Regional Directorate of Culture (DRC) from Cusco , which carried out maintenance work, experts announced today. Oscar Montufar La Torre, resident archaeologist of the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu , […]

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Colombia: Indigenous group demands closure of Tres Cruces military base

Hundreds of indigenous Colombians remain blocked for a week Tres Cruces military base in the department of Cauca, to demand the closure of these facilities. The original settlers did not allow entry or exit of soldiers, and complain that civilians living near the barracks are targeted by internal conflict in Colombia 50 years ago. The […]

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Mexico: three million children working daily

At least 3 million 14 thousand 800 children work daily in Mexico Mexico has at least 3 million 14thousand 800 children between five and 17 years old working daily. According to the United Nations Children Fund approximately half of the working children are being exposed to hazardous environments including drugs and prostitution activities. Read Article

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Mexico: Indigenous group begins march to Hermosillo making demands for changes

Under the slogan “For the Dignity of Ethnic Sonoran” began in the town of Huatabampo a march of over a thousand indigenous Sonoran culminating in this capital, which require solutions to the social backwardness of the different tribes. Specifically, the demands are focused on the areas of housing, scholarships, and production projects, said a spokesman […]

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Chile’s Supreme Court denies ancestral rights of Rapa Nui. Landmark case ruling

Chile’s Supreme Court rejected the appeal by Milestone Clan Rapa Nui, which called for the restoration of judiciary via ancestral lands in Easter Island, which they consider usurped by the Chilean company “Hotel Hanga Roa.”The Court’s reasoning Chilean continental effects for all the Rapa Nui, as it relies on the false premise that there are […]

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Colombia: Indigenous newborn girl dies after genital mutilation

A newborn died after (removal) of the clitoris in an Indian reservation of western Colombia, said Tuesday local authorities, who were surprised by this case. “On Thursday I reported the death of a 15 days. Evaluated at the hospital that was the result of bleeding that occurred ablation. And the Legal Medicine Institute confirmed later,” […]

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Colombia: 10 year old girl from Wayuu tribe gives birth to baby

A 10-year-old girl in Colombia has become one of the world’s youngest mothers after giving birth to a baby girl. Doctors delivered the baby by caesarean section after the girl, a member of the indigenous Wayuu tribe, arrived at a hospital in Manaure in tears.The girl, who has not been named, was 39 weeks pregnant […]

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Ecuador: President of CONAIE states Chevron using violence, intimidation, espionage in recent days in oil case

Humberto Cholango, president of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE), expressed its solidarity with all the equipment that accompanies and leads the case against the company Chewron-Texaco and claims that the acts of violence, intimidation, espionage that have occurred in recent days will not stop their actions until justice is done in this […]

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Ecuador: Indigenous groups demonstrate ability to mobilize

Although the government insists qualify as a “failure” which toured the indigenous march in fifteen days eight provinces (left El Pangui, Zamora Chinchipe, on March 8 and arrived in Quito on 22), that shaped a movement new political landscape dominated by President Rafael Correa over the past 5 years. That is the reading of analysts […]

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CONAIE protest march arrives Quito Ecuador

he leaders of the Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) do not share or even to their bases. They say that to prevent information from leaking to the Government held in reserve the time and route taken to end their march in the park the tree. This mobilization, which started last March 8 from […]

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U.N. declares stagnation of Indigenous rights in Bolivia

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, denounced a “stagnation” of the rights of indigenous peoples in Bolivia, in a report from his office in that country presented on Wednesday in Geneva. They “showed stagnation, particularly regarding the right of consultation on projects and administrative or legislative measures which may affect” the Indians, […]

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Ecuador: Indigenous protest march to Quito suspends movement for one day

With flag in hand, arrived yesterday in Ambato indigenous march. In the capital of Tungurahua were waiting. Dozens of Wholesale Market traders and other sectors expected from 09:00 to hikers, who made a break in the mountains of Urbina (boundary between the provinces Chimborazo and Tungurahua) and Mocha, and then arrive at Chico Huachi sector. […]

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Ecuador: Government declares state of emergency in Machala due to poor quality of water

The facilities of the company, which provides potable water service and sewer service to Machala, Passage and The Guabo, awoke yesterday militarized. The national government declared a state of emergency in these cantone. The company’s facilities in Machala awoke yesterday TripleOro militarized after the Government declared a state of emergency in the capital of El […]

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Cocaleros across Bolivia chew coca in protest and defense of traditional uses of plant

Hundreds of farmers gathered in the streets in cities across the country on Monday and proceeded to chew coca in coincidence with the intervention of President Evo Morales early in Vienna before the Commission on Narcotic Drugs, United Nations. defended the traditional uses of this plant. Farmers camped in squares of La Paz, Cochabamba, Sucre […]

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Ecuador: Indigenous begin march to Quito to protest mining policy

The Indians tore his walk yesterday for Quito with transportation restrictions and fewer fans than expected. But confirmed that the next March 22 will be in the capital of the Republic to reject the government’s mining policy, the failure of important legislation for the sector, such as Water and Earth, among other claims. The movement […]

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Mexico: Huichols are trying to block Canadian mining project

Huichol Indians believe the sun was born in a spot high in the arid Sierra de Catorce mountain range of northern Mexico. For them, that spot — the Cerro del Quemado, or the Burned Mountain — is the center of the universe, a sacred ground. It’s also part of a mining concession Mexico’s government granted […]

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Protests against mining to start back up Tuesday in Panama

Protesting indigenous Ngabe-Bugle Indians have partially closed the Pan American highway at San Felix, according to several sources. Today negotiations on the controversial Article 5 of Bill 415 resumed in the National Assembly. Late this afternoon the Indians who have been camped in the 5th of May Plaza blocked both entrances to the National Assembly, […]

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20 percent of Oaxacan communities without communal kitchens to help fight malnutrition

Due to lack of budget Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca. – Leticia Cortés Martínez, regional link address Mixteca Food Assistance in Oaxaca said that so far, over 80% of communities in the district of Huajuapan have the services provided by the Dining Community Nutrition to improve nutritional status of infants and women of childbearing age, with […]

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2 thousand Mixtecos mobilize in Oaxaca

Huajuapan de León, Oaxaca. – The coordinator-Mexico Binational Indigenous Front of Binational Organizations (FIOB), Bernardo Ramirez Bautista, announced that on Monday February 27 was held up in the capital of a contingent of more than 10 thousand people belonging to that organization, of which 2 000 are from the Mixteca region. That is because today […]

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Mexico: Sophisticated clandestine drug laboratory uncovered in Indigenous community

A sophisticated clandestine laboratory for processing synthetic drugs was located near the Mexican indigenous community of Cheran (west), where in May the people took their own authority to block access to the people and prevent entry of organized crime, the military said Saturday. “The narcolaboratorio was located near the community of Rancho Seco, located within […]

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Ecuador: Indigenous groups plan protest march against President Correa for March , 08, 2012

The Confederation of Indigenous Nationalities of Ecuador (CONAIE) and other social groups today called for a protest march for March 8 against the policies implemented by the government of President Rafael Correa. The leader of CONAIE, Humberto Cholango, said at a news conference that the mobilization is due to the unpopular policies implemented by Correa […]

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Indigenous group rekindles conflict regarding road construction in Amazon national park area

The arrival in La Paz for a second indigenous march in just over three months on Monday revived a dispute over a road in the jungle of Bolivia, whose construction was halted after a similar protest from other indigenous groups, and revealed the division of the basis of government support. The new protest calls the […]

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Bolivia: 26 injured in conflict between Indigenous marchers and police

At least 26 policemen injured, indigenous and journalists was the balance of the income of the marchers of the Indigenous Council of the South (CONISUR) to the Plaza Murillo. Sticks and stones, Indian police exceeded the barrier which failed to act, as in the past, using tear gas to prevent such excesses. The march of […]

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Ecuador: Children and adolescents still at risk

Ecuadorian children and adolescents are still at risk. The figures that manage the agencies responsible for protecting children reflect this (see pg. 11). However, that does not mean there is no progress. The legislation, for example, are guaranteed certain rights, as contained in international treaties and conventions, as well as the Constitution and other specialized […]

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Mapuche Indigenous denounce police violence

Mapuche community members complained that the Chilean police force acted with tear gas and used s during a raid in the south of the country in which the officers arrested a 18 year old accused of theft. Police said the device was deployed special police in the region of Araucania, Mapuche conflict zone called, and […]

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Maya calendar does not predict global catastrophe

The end of the Maya long-count calendar does not predict a global catastrophe, let alone the end of the world, say native activists and elders who spoke to IPS in Guatemala. But what are coming to an end are the world’s natural resources, as a result of human activity, they warn. According to the Maya […]

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Mexico: Over 12 million Indians suffer abuses, warns the CNDH

The National Human Rights Commission (CND) warned that more than 12 million indigenous people in our country are exposed to discrimination, abuse, maltreatment and abuse. Through the Program for Promotion of Human Rights and Indigenous Peoples, the CNDH from January to June intensified their actions. Conducted 230 activities in the states of the Republic to […]

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32 Indigenous groups at threat of extinction in Colombia

According to the ONIC (National Indigenous Organization of Colombia), of the 102 indigenous people living in the country, 32 are in danger of disappearing because they have fewer than 500 individuals, mostly located in the basins of the Amazon and Orinoco. Of these, there are 18 towns with fewer than 200 people and 10 less […]

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Police detain for several hours leaders of mining protests, Cajamarca

Peruvian police arrested on Tuesday for more than ten hours to six people who are leading protests against a huge mining project from U.S. company Newmont Mining in the department of Cajamarca, in the north. The president of Environmental Defense Front Cajamarca, Wilfredo Saavedra, one of the people who were trapped in a building of […]

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Severe malnutrition in remote areas of Chihuahua, Mexico

Hunger is widespread in indigenous communities that make up the municipality of Guachochi. Indians suffer severe malnutrition every week two children have to be referred to a hospital with serious health problems and several complications, while in remote communities do not get the support and people are desperate. Read Article ————————————————– DOES YOUR ORGANIZATION HAVE […]

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Mass vacinations being issued due to outbreak of rabies from bat bites, Amazon region

The Health Minister David Chiriboga, announced a mass vaccination against rabies outbreak in various parts of the Amazon by bat bites. However, Chiriboga lamented the difficulties in diagnosing the disease and the resistance of indigenous communities to the vaccine.Three remote communities in the canton Taisha in Morona Santiago province, have been affected by the outbreak […]

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Rabies deaths taking toll on Achuar communities in Ecuador

In tarimiat Achuar communities, new and Wampuik Surik (header Huasaga parish), Taisha Canton, on the border with Peru, province of Morona Santiago, there is much pain and crying in the forest for the death of 9 members of these communities by human rabies, according to laboratory results. The situation is dramatic, to say the least, […]

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Colombia, government begins to revoke mining permits from protected areas

The Government started debugging mining rights have been granted in protected areas such as wilderness and national parks.The director of the Colombian Institute of Geology and Mining (Ingeominas), Oscar Paredes Zapata, revealed that he ordered the evacuation of all activity on the Natural Park Yaigojé Apaporis (Amazon and Vaupés), for which a permit was granted […]

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