State of the World's Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2011
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Alaska (US) CANADA NORTH UNITED STATES PACIFIC ATL ANTIC OCEAN CUBA Hawaiian Islands (US) MEXICO DOMINICAN REP. HAITI Puerto Rico (US) BELIZE JAMAICA GUATEMALA HONDURAS EL SALVADOR NICARAGUA COSTA RICA VENEZUELA PANAMA GUYANA COLOMBIA Guyane (Fr.) SURINAM ECUADOR PERU BRAZIL BOLIVIA PARAGUAY SOUTH CHILE URUGUAY PACIFIC ARGENTINA Americas Maurice Bryan tretching from Alaska in the north, through African descendant populations have been managing Central America and the Caribbean Basin, to weather the economic downturn (although not S to Tierra del Fuego to the south, the necessarily to the benefit of already marginalized immense and diverse Americas region contains groups). countries with large, ethnically diverse populations, In Central and South America, remittances made up of immigrants from European, Asia-Pacific sent home from migrants in the industrialized and Middle Eastern countries, as well as tens of mil- economies of Europe and North America remained lions of indigenous and African descendant people. an important source of income for indigenous In some Central and South American states, indig- and African descendant communities. While still enous peoples and African descendant populations not regaining pre-economic crisis levels, these constitute more than 40 per cent of the national remittances did not slip any lower, and service total. sectors such as international tourism, which employ Of these groups, African descendants and many indigenous women and those of African indigenous peoples remained the most marginalized descent, began to show small gains. Nevertheless, and disadvantaged, and are particularly vulnerable rising food prices were an increasing concern in to human rights abuses. In 2010, their main most of the region. concerns continued to be daily societal and institutional discrimination, poverty, resource and Social insecurity land seizures, socio-economic exclusion, limited Continuing economic uncertainty, limited political participation, and inadequate access to opportunities and consistent lack of social social services such as health and education. investment helped to fuel increases in violence and Many of these patterns of marginalization can be crime, and the expansion of criminal youth gang traced to social and economic structures established activities in some Latin American countries. While at the very beginning of the colonial era in the this did not have an immediate impact on the Americas. Their ongoing influence constrains majority of rural-dwelling indigenous peoples and current attempts to effect real and lasting social African descendants, the ongoing social threat to and economic change, including meeting the their communities remained real, especially given Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. the influence and speed of contemporary global And as has been the case for more than 500 years, it communication. More directly, the continuing state is African descendant and indigenous women who of public insecurity has become one of the greatest face particular hardship, and limited opportunities impediments to achieving the MDGs for these for civic, economic and political participation, as a groups, as the social and economic development result of ethnicity and gender-based discrimination. concerns of indigenous peoples and African descendant populations now stand even less of a Economics chance of becoming national priority issues. With During 2010, the unstable state of the region’s citizen safety having become the main focus of economies continued to have a direct and indirect daily public and official discourse, larger amounts impact on indigenous and African descendant of already scarce national resources continued to populations, partly determined by the degree to be diverted away from social investment, in order which the respective groups were integrated into to strengthen police, army and other internal state their countries’ economic life. security structures. In the United States (US), Native American- Central American gangs – whose in-country owned timber firms (which make up a third of all memberships alone run into the tens of thousands Native American-owned businesses) were amongst and include equally violent female participants – those hardest hit by the crisis in the housing function largely with impunity, and are increasingly market, and tribes with lucrative gaming casinos capable of effectively challenging state authority. have also seen a decline in revenue. But elsewhere, Along with youth gangs, other major sources of indigenous First Nation-owned corporations in violence include powerful drug cartels and various Canada reported increasing profits, and South forms of organized crime, as well as assassination American countries with large indigenous and squads made up of retired and active duty members 94 Americas State of the World’s Minorities and Indigenous Peoples 2011 of the police and military. According to Mexico’s violence and provide leaders with greater authority National Human Rights Commission, the problem to prosecute and punish offenders in their areas. of criminal gangs in Central America extends up The high numbers of indigenous youth who to the northern border with the US. In addition to are sent to prison was one of the themes discussed cross-border arms smuggling and drug trafficking, at the 9th Session of the United Nations (UN) Central American Maras and Mexican Zetas Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues in 2010. kidnap, extort, rob, rape and even murder economic According to a UN Habitat report, although First migrants on their way to the US. These include Nations make up only 5 per cent of the total youth indigenous arrivals in transit from as far south as population in Canada, in some provinces they Bolivia and Ecuador. account for 34 per cent of all male and 41 per cent In Central America, governments are battling of all female young offenders. As IPS news agency to find ways to deal with the situation. A 2008 reported, Max Maciel, coordinator of Central Única study found that zero tolerance laws and repressive das Favelas (a movement of young slum-dwellers) in tactics – such as those adopted unsuccessfully in Brasilia, has advised that instead of trying to quash El Salvador and Honduras – have actually served gangs and criminalize young people, state authorities to fuel gang activities. With diminishing access to should find ways to develop the positive qualities of other income-earning opportunities, thousands of many of the young people, such as their leadership gang members now provide an abundant and lethal abilities, and develop initiatives which will allow labour pool for drug trafficking mafias and other ethno-cultural self expression and provide tools to organized crime groups; for example, as collectors enable them to enter the workforce. of ‘protection’ payments from local residents, shopkeepers and bus drivers. Elsewhere, the Central Environment American Coalition for the Prevention of Youth In addition to social and economic challenges, Violence points out that these laws are ineffective the Americas region also had to deal with the because they do not address the root causes of the effects of unprecedented weather patterns. Floods problem, namely: poverty, discrimination, and lack and droughts in Brazil, Colombia, Guatemala, of employment opportunities, education and health Honduras and Venezuela brought destruction to care. Consequently, government actions such as rural and urban areas and often had a direct impact raising incarceration rates are often merely politically on indigenous and African descendant communities, motivated responses to growing pressure and criticism which tend to be located in marginal areas. from an increasingly tense and fearful public. Gender and ethnicity were major factors in Elsewhere in the region, gang violence and determining who was badly affected by these natural criminality has not developed – or been addressed – disasters. Across the region, significant numbers of in the same way. In South American countries like poor indigenous and African descendant women Brazil and Venezuela, the local youth gangs have not are self-employed in farming or informal sector turned into crime rings like their Central American food preparation and sales, and are primarily counterparts. In Quito, the capital of Ecuador, responsible for looking after children. Natural young migrants from indigenous rural zones have disasters that destroy food crops and homes thus formed urban subcultures that include indigenous have a disproportionate effect on women from gangs and an indigenous music scene. Indigenous these groups, which is compounded by national community leaders have been attempting to counter shortages leading to rises in food prices. In addition, instances of violent criminal activity among rural indigenous and African descendant women faced indigenous youth by imposing traditional measures discrimination during relief efforts, when their of penance (discussed in greater detail below). already marginalized communities were often the In North America as well, tribal nation leaders last to be served – if at all. For instance, following continued to be concerned about high crime rates the 2010 Chilean earthquake, indigenous Mapuche on US Native American reservations. During 2010, resorted to using internet sites to complain about US President Barack Obama signed into effect a discrimination and the absence of aid and relief new Tribal Law and Order Act, intended to help efforts in their communities