But while the economy has grown during the pandemic, so have levels of poverty. Estamos viviendo entre escombros. [We are living in the ruins] Guatevisin, 10 January 2021. https://www.guatevision.com/nacionales/departamentos/estamos-viviendo-entre-escombros-a-mas-de-dos-meses-de-la-inundacion-en-campur-gobierno-aun-analiza-que-acciones-tomar, [17] Elas, Silvel. Abelino Zacarias, who filed an injunction against the project, mysteriously disappeared. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (Speaking Spanish). At the same time, the countrys health ministry has cut funding for addressing malnutrition. Land was given to the original elite landowners, and indigenous rights were restricted. The Kich Indigenous organisation of the 48 Cantons of Totonicapn, the Xinca Peoples Parliament and the Indigenous Peoples of Solol led a further protest in the capital for the same reasons. Posted in Guatemala. - The New York Times. MARTIN: It's a Sunday morning in another Indigenous town called Santa Maria de Jesus. Bernardo Caal Xl is a leader of the peaceful resistance of Cahabn, a collective of 38 Maya Q'eqchi' communities in the northern department of Alta Verapaz in northern Guatemala. "Mr. Bernardo Caal Xl has been criminalised because he, on behalf of his community, took a case all the way to the Supreme Court to try to halt the Oxec hydroelectric project," the experts said. MARTIN: People in Indigenous communities are exposed to the same disinformation as elsewhere and the falsehood that the vaccine is experimental. In retaliation, smear campaigns were launched in newspapers, on television and social media to discredit his work and to portray human rights defenders in a negative light, the experts said. Silvel Elas is Maya Kich, lecturer and coordinator of the Rural and Territorial Studies Programme (PERT) in the Faculty of Agronomy of the San Carlos de Guatemala University. Posted in Guatemala. This is because structural racism lies at the root of the inequality and social exclusion, as well as of the violations of the fundamental rights, of Indigenous Peoples. VELASQUEZ NIMANTUJ: There is a lot of racists against the Indigenous people. Stepnick, Andi,, OBrien, Eileen, 1972- (Eighth ed.). Stand up today to defend someone's rights First, they were sick with coughs, they suffered from nose bleeds and urinary infections. Confronting abusers like China demands accountability for the treatment of Indigenous people at home. I asked all the creator, the goddess, Mother Lake, all nature for protection and also for strength. Read the full text about the countries in the newest version of The Indigenous World. . Guatemala has a population of 14.9 million people, of which 6.5 million (43.75%) belong to the 22 Mayan (Achi, Akatec, Awakatec, Chalchitec, Chort, Chuj, Itz, Ixil, Jacaltec, Kaqchikel, Kiche, Mam, Mopan, Poqomam, Poqomch, Qanjobal, Q'eqch, Sakapultec, Sipakapense, Tektitek, Tzutujil and Uspantek), one Garfuna, one Xinca and one Creole or Afro-descendant peoples. Mr. Caal Xl has filed an appeal before the Supreme Court to present his arguments, including three amicus curiae briefs, which was finally heard on 21 June after many delays. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. And behold, during the 25th year (1520) the plague appeared, oh my children! Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. They don't receive appropriate service in this specific situation, especially now. This largely comprises native plants found on the ancestral territories, both in backyard gardens and in natural areas protected by the communities. Rural Indigenous communities are those that suffer the worst, available data shows. The UN Human Rights Office and the mechanisms we support work on a wide range of human rights topics. This includes a diverse array of communities and different ethnic groups including the Maya (representing the largest indigenous community in the country), Garifuna, and Xinka Peoples. All rights reserved. Background USAID/Guatemala works to increase awareness, knowledge and recognition of Indigenous Peoples rights, culture, history, and knowledge systems. September 15 marks 200 years since the Central American countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica gained independence from Spain. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. As a result, poverty and food insecurity have increased and the greatest effects will be felt in the immediate future. With the slogan: Wheres the money? An indigenous woman in Guatemala is more likely than all her fellow citizens to be sick, illiterate, poor and overwhelmed by too many unplanned children. Written on 18 March 2021. For the next 30 years, Guatemalas military governed the country, undoing all of Arbenzs reforms. IWGIA's global report, the Indigenous World, provides an update of the current situation for Indigenous Peoples worldwide. Get the latest from our news, events and meetings. An official website of the United States government. Even though the Civil War ended over 24 years ago, poverty, exclusion, and racism still affect the indigenous community today. Written on 11 May 2020. Independence did not form a group of nations that valued Indigenous people, but rather it abandoned those communities. Today is Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States, . If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Los pueblos coloniales de la costa sur de Guatemala. [The colonial villages of Guatemala's south coast], Prensa Libre, 22 January 2017. https://www.prensalibre.com/revista-d/los-pueblos-coloniales-de-la-costa-sur/, [6] Guatemala afronta una pobreza multidimensional del 61%. SANTANA: (Through interpreter) Well, nobody's perfect. MARTIN: Again, anthropologist Velasquez Nimantuj. The year 2020 began with newly-elected representatives to the Presidency, Congress and local councils, coinciding precisely with the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic. Guatemala City: On July 23, 2021 the International Indian Treaty Council will participate in the opening event for two offices in Guatemala, hosted by the Mayan Kaqchikel University in Santo Domingo Xenacoj in the department of Sacatepquez. In September, authorities and the Guatemalan Forensic Anthropology Foundation, a nongovernmental organization (NGO), began efforts to recover the bodies of at least 116 Indigenous children. A special UN representative began a 10-day probe Wednesday into Canadian Indigenous issues, including missing and murdered females and former Indian residential schools. In my understanding, the main problem is the lack of communication between the government and the communities. Statement by Mr. Ivan imonovi, Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights at the special event at the 57th session of the Commission on the Status of Women on Obligations and Practical Measures to Support Women Human Rights Defenders, 12 March 2013, UN Headquarters, New York, Intervention of the Special Rapporteur at the Thematic Debate of the General Assembly "Water, Sanitation and Sustainable Energy In the Post-2015 Development Agenda", National institutions and regional mechanisms, Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, Working Group on business and human rights, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders. It just keeps coming. The most notable candidate was Telma Cabrera who came in fourth, the highest place achieved by an indigenous leader so far. One of the main struggles for Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala relates to political participation. MARTIN: Ratzan Pablo believes in the power of prayer but also of modern medicine. Death squads emerged, murdering labor leaders and political opponents, while leftist rebellions or guerrillas increased their attacks on government forces. They can face stigma and discrimination. Background Health inequalities disproportionally affect indigenous people in Guatemala. The database search yielded 2829 citations, of which 2747 were excluded. [17], The following individuals were also murdered over the year: Alberto Cucul Cho (Qeqch park ranger), Medardo Alonzo (Chort leader), Fidel Lpez (peasant leader), Abel Raymundo (Chort leader), Benot Maria (French citizen dedicated to defending Indigenous Peoples), Misael Lpez Cataln (community leader), Carlos Muc Pop (Qeqch leader) and an Indigenous leader from Purulha, Baja Verapaz, among others. Five men, Kaqchikel Maya agricultural workers ranging in age from 30 to 50, shoot the breeze as they wait to have their shoes shined. Photo: AEPDI - Q'eqchi Ombudsman Office. 4 out of 5 indigenous people live in poverty, and 21.8% of the indigenous community is affected by extreme poverty compared to 7.4% of the non-indigenous population. She says Guatalama's Maya have a long historical memory of diseases like smallpox and measles brought by the Spaniards, which wiped out so many Indigenous peoples in the Americas. Some evangelical congregations, she says, direct people not to get vaccinated or wear masks. In addition, many of the lockdown measures were not evenly implemented. RATZAN PABLO: They remember how the disease is coming, you know? This article is part of the 35th edition of The Indigenous World, a yearly overview produced by IWGIA that serves to document and report on the developments Indigenous Peoples have experienced. I cant find the information I need, can I talk to someone? Posted in Guatemala. Domingo Choc was murdered in his own community, accused of practising witchcraft. October 11, 2021, 3:07 PM. Productores de verduras bloquean Los Encuentros a pesar del confinamiento por el coronavirus [Vegetable producers block Los Encuentros in spite of coronavirus lockdown] Prensa Libre, 15 May 2020. https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/solola/giammattei-responde-a-campesinos-que-bloquearon-los-encuentros-a-pesar-del-confinamiento-por-el-coronavirus-breaking/, [9] Indgenas cierran caminos en Guatemala para exigir la renuncia del presidente. [Indigenous peoples close roads in Guatemala to demand President's resignation] Infobae, 9 December 2020. https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2020/12/10/indigenas-cierran-caminos-en-guatemala-para-exigir-renuncia-del-presidente, [10] Vega, Juan Manuel. The impacts on Indigenous women emerged in the additional workload they had to endure in relation to household tasks and the impossibility of carrying out their economic activities. Less than 10% of Guatemalas Congress members are indigenous, a relatively small percent considering the indigenous community makes up for almost half of the countrys inhabitants. Niegan el ingreso al alcalde de Carcha a reunin con el presidente Alejandro Giammattei. [Carcha Mayor denied entry to meeting with President Alejandro Giammattei] Prensa Libre, 7 November 2020. https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/alta-verapaz/niegan-ingreso-a-alcalde-de-carcha-a-reunion-con-el-presidente-alejandro-giammattei/, [11] Bono familia: negocio para algunos, falsa expectativa para otros. [Family voucher: business for some, false expectations for others] Perspectiva, 22 July 2020. https://www.perspectiva.gt/noticias/bono-familia-negocio-para-algunos-falsa-expectativa-para-otros/, [12] Reginaldo Chayax Huex. The New York Times, 11 October 2020. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=reginaldo-chayax-huex&pid=196929391, [13] Un incendio premeditado y gases lacrimgenos esperaban a una manifestacin pacfica. [Arson and tear gas awaited peaceful demonstration] El Peridico, 22 November 2020. https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacionales/2020/11/22/un-incendio-premeditado-y-gases-lacrimogenos-esperaban-a-una-manifestacion-pacifica/, [14]Pueblos indgenas denuncian abuso de autoridad por parte del gobierno actual. [Indigenous Peoples denounce governments abuse of authority] El Peridico, 24 November 2020. https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacionales/2020/11/24/pueblos-indigenas-denuncian-abuso-de-autoridad-por-parte-del-gobierno-actual/, [15] Barrientos Castaeda, Miguel, Tragedia en Quej, San Cristobal Verapaz: suspenden bsqueda por ETA. [Tragedy in Quej, San Cristobal Verapaz: search suspended by Eta] Prensa Libre, 10 November 2020. https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/alta-verapaz/tragedia-en-queja-san-cristobal-verapaz-suspenden-busqueda-de-victimas-por-eta/, [16] Oliva, William. The disregard for Indigenous communities is also seen in poverty rates. For example, there is a national media that prioritises Spanish as the official language while the Indigenous language media have only limited local coverage. In the face of this adversity, the Colectivo Artesana promotes public policies that protect the human rights of Indigenous female prisoners. Guatemala has ratified ILO Convention 169 (which the Constitutional Court elevated to constitutional status in 2010, obliging the country to recognise the rights of Indigenous Peoples), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the FAO Policy on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. They continue to treat the Indigenous peoples as their ancestors. Learn more. The new generations understand it very well. [4] Memorial de Solol Anales de los Cakchiqueles. Direct translation from the original and notes by Adrin Recinos. Sadly, Guatemala's indigenous population faces higher rates of poverty, racism, and exclusion than non-indigenous Guatemalans. ALCALA: (Through interpreter) There are vaccines now, but there's a lot of bad information, so people don't let themselves be vaccinated. Written on 01 April 2022. Anthropologist Irma Alicia Velasquez Nimantuj is a K'iche' Maya who teaches at the University of Oregon. Quej, an indigenous Poqomch community in San Cristbal Verapaz, Alta Verapaz department, suffered a landslide that resulted in the deaths of nearly 50 people, with at least 100 more missing. The diverse and beautiful country draws hundreds of thousands of tourists each year. MARTIN: Which is another falsehood. 26 April 2021 Human Rights. In the city of Solol, Indigenous people blocked the Inter-American highway in protest at the government's restriction on the transportation of local products while large companies were exempt. For media enquiries about other UN independent experts, please contact Renato de Souza (+41 22 928 9855 / rrosariodesouza@ohchr.org). Learn about how you can report a human rights violation. Follow news related to the UN independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts. Most indigenous Mayan groups live in Guatemalas rural western highlights in regions including Alta Verapaz and Quich. The State has always been absent, Alejandra Colom, an anthropology professor at the Guatemalan Del Valle University, tells The Progressive. The country still lacks a differentiated statistical base on Indigenous Peoples, especially on Indigenous women, but it is well-known that there are disparities between the Indigenous and the non-indigenous population in employment, income, health, and education. Guatemala is home to 24 principal ethnic groups. society demanded transparency and fairness in the use of public funds. They are independent of any government or organisation and serve in their individual capacity. And behold, during the 25th year ( 1520 ) the plague appeared, oh my!. Also seen in poverty rates areas protected by the communities are those that suffer the worst, available shows... 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