A ruling was expected in 15 days but it has yet to be issued. MARTIN: With little hope of things changing soon, many Maya prefer to use their traditional remedies to fight off the virus, says Maya priestess Dolores Ratzan Pablo. Written on 01 April 2022. 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. Special Procedures experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. Read more. Both of these departments have high rates of migration. Guatemala continues to suffer from a lack of reliable data on its indigenous peoples. UNIDENTIFIED REPORTER: (Speaking Spanish). Before sharing sensitive information, make sure youre on a federal government site. The site is secure. [16], There was no halt to the criminalisation of community members defending their territories and natural resources from dispossession and extractivism despite the pandemic. A short author biography is also included.Adapted for ages 4-6.Recommended in the Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools 2020/2021 resource list for grades K-1 in the areas of English Language Arts and Social Studies.This book is available in French: Le chandail orange de PhyllisAdditional Information30 pages | 9.00 Editorial Piedra Santa. One of the main struggles for Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala relates to political participation. Guatemalas indigenous community does not receive the same opportunities as non-indigenous people have. IAPA highlighted a "strategy of criminalisation and . Some contributions include, indigenous peoples' successful struggles against deforestation, mineral, oil and gas extraction in their ancestral lands; their fight against further expansion of. Official data indicates that poverty affects 75% of Indigenous people and 36% of non-indigenous people; chronic malnutrition affects 58% of Indigenous people and 38% of non-indigenous people; and, in terms of political participation, Indigenous individuals represent no more than 15% of parliamentarians and high-ranking public officials. [Guatemala suffering 61% multidimensional poverty] El Economista, 26 November 2019. https://www.eleconomista.net/actualidad/Guatemala-afronta-una-pobreza-multidimensional-del-61-20191126-0028.html, [7] Montepeque, Ferdy. USAID/Guatemala works to increase awareness, knowledge and recognition of Indigenous Peoples rights, culture, history, and knowledge systems. Learn more about each topic, see who's involved, and find the latest news, reports, events and more. During this time, Guatemalas economy grew substantially primarily as a result of the export of coffee and bananas. There were several peaceful demonstrations in November 2020 across the country protesting at the abuse of power, corruption, discrimination against Indigenous Peoples, and the lack of government attention to the pandemic, along with the alleged approval of an unrealistic budget for the country. He created and adopted a new constitution that gave more authority to the Guatemalan people, instead of just the elite. Pueblos indgenas, los ms vulnerables ante el COVID-19. [Indigenous Peoples most vulnerable to COVID-19]. 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. [13] The government suppressed these protests, resulting in deaths, injuries and arrests. 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. It was truly terrible the number of deaths that occurred at that time. Indigenous peoples made significant social progress, experienced a reduction in poverty levels in several countries and gained improved access to basic services during the boom of the first decade of the century, but they did not benefit to the same extent as the rest of Latin Americans, according to a new World Bank study. The State has always been absent, Alejandra Colom, an anthropology professor at the Guatemalan Del Valle University, tells The Progressive. USAID encourages Indigenous Peoples participation throughout the design and implementation of programs within Guatemala to ensure that all activities consider Indigenous Peoples development priorities. More recent reforms to the Guatemalan Penal Code (such as the Law against Sexual Violence, Exploitation and Human Trafficking in 2009, and in 2017 the banning of marriage of minors, without exceptions) have represented important advances in the recognition of the rights of women, young women and girls. Posted in Guatemala. The problems plaguing Guatemala today are immense. [7] The pandemic has shed light on the neglect of the health system generally as a result of privatisation policies. The Maya can be further divided into 24 groups: the Achi', Akateco, Awakateco . MARIA MARTIN, BYLINE: Mayan priestess Dolores Ratzan Pablo makes offerings of flowers, liquor and multicolored candles to the sacred fire. . In my understanding, the main problem is the lack of communication between the government and the communities. Five men, Kaqchikel Maya agricultural workers ranging in age from 30 to 50, shoot the breeze as they wait to have their shoes shined. Anthropologist Irma Alicia Velasquez Nimantuj is a K'iche' Maya who teaches at the University of Oregon. The pandemic did not stop the Indigenous struggle for recognition of their fundamental rights, although criminalisation of land and territorial defenders also increased. The 2018 Population and Housing censuss ability to survey and report on the countrys ethnic dimension is limited, given that it has been conducted in the midst of an unprecedented political and institutional crisis. The Guatemalan Spring, which began in 1944 and ended with the CIA-backed coup against President Jacobo rbenz in 1954, was only a brief point of hope for the country. Find The Indigenous World 2021 in full here, https://www.icefi.org/sites/default/files/inversion_en_pueblos_indigenas_0.pdf, http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/multimedia/2016/guatemala/guatemala.html, http://www.sesan.gob.gt/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Situacion-SAN-Guatemala-dia-1.pdf, https://www.prensalibre.com/revista-d/los-pueblos-coloniales-de-la-costa-sur/, https://www.eleconomista.net/actualidad/Guatemala-afronta-una-pobreza-multidimensional-del-61-20191126-0028.html, https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacionales/2020/05/23/pueblos-indigenas-los-mas-vulnerables-ante-el-covid-19/, https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/solola/giammattei-responde-a-campesinos-que-bloquearon-los-encuentros-a-pesar-del-confinamiento-por-el-coronavirus-breaking/, https://www.infobae.com/america/agencias/2020/12/10/indigenas-cierran-caminos-en-guatemala-para-exigir-renuncia-del-presidente, https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/alta-verapaz/niegan-ingreso-a-alcalde-de-carcha-a-reunion-con-el-presidente-alejandro-giammattei/, https://www.perspectiva.gt/noticias/bono-familia-negocio-para-algunos-falsa-expectativa-para-otros/, https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/nytimes/obituary.aspx?n=reginaldo-chayax-huex&pid=196929391, https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacionales/2020/11/22/un-incendio-premeditado-y-gases-lacrimogenos-esperaban-a-una-manifestacion-pacifica/, https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacionales/2020/11/24/pueblos-indigenas-denuncian-abuso-de-autoridad-por-parte-del-gobierno-actual/, https://www.prensalibre.com/ciudades/alta-verapaz/tragedia-en-queja-san-cristobal-verapaz-suspenden-busqueda-de-victimas-por-eta/, 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, https://debatesindigenas.org/ENG/ns/59-epistemic-violence.html, http://www.oas.org/es/cidh/prensa/comunicados/2020/215.asp, https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacionales/2020/04/30/el-guatemalteco-jose-cali-fue-nombrado-relator-de-onu-para-pueblos-indigenas2/, https://www.prensacomunitaria.org/2020/08/nebaj-derecho-de-tierras-ejidales-es-restituido-al-pueblo-ixil/, https://nomada.gt/identidades/guatemala-rural/3-comunidades-vencieron-a-las-municipalidades-que-intentaban-usurpar-sus-tierras/, https://www.prensacomunitaria.org/2020/06/cc-la-mina-cgn-no-puede-trabajar-hasta-que-se-realice-consulta-comunitaria-y-delimite-terreno-de-operaciones/, https://www.facebook.com/comundichgt/photos/a.110418727061610/110417707061712/?type=3. Structural racism has further manifested itself in the failure to include Indigenous therapies and healers in prevention and treatment programmes. At the time of this study, only one English-language paper (Duffy, 2008) was found on the causes of IPV in Guatemala.Duffy (2008) identifies alcohol consumption, poverty, traditional female gender norms, and a lack of access to education as contributing to . This largely comprises native plants found on the ancestral territories, both in backyard gardens and in natural areas protected by the communities. Indigenous groups can be distinguished by language with approximately 24 indigenous languages still spoken today. Racism and patriarchy present profound challenges within the Guatemalan prison system. Follow news related to the UN independent human rights experts on Twitter @UN_SPExperts. The largest of these landowners was the United Fruit Company, who started a propaganda campaign against Arbenzs government. Today is Indigenous Peoples Day in the United States, . 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. Death squads emerged, murdering labor leaders and political opponents, while leftist rebellions or guerrillas increased their attacks on government forces. The Indigenous people have another way to think. While the countries wouldnt form their current borders until the 1840s, the 1821 negotiated independence only benefited the children of the Spanish invaders, known as Criollos, who sought independence for their own interests. Meanwhile, remarks about the incident by Guatemala's president did little to help the situation. She's a public health nurse from Santiago, who's recently been charged with heading up the vaccination program for the entire province. Indigenous Peoples' strategies for dealing with the pandemic Despite the severe impacts of the pandemic, the Indigenous Peoples have been resilient, mobilising their traditional knowledge and practices for the prevention and treatment of disease in the face of delayed and insufficient government assistance. Join us and make a difference. MARTIN: Ratzan Pablo asks for protection for her Mayan community of Santiago Atitlan from the effects of the pandemic and from the diseases and deaths that the virus has brought. For more information and media requests, please contact Mr. Jos Parra (jose.parra@ohchr.org) or Ms. Isabela Zaleski Mori (consultant.zaleskimori@ohchr.org). In fact, the government seems to silence human right defenders. Indigenous and social organizations expressed their opposition. - The New York Times. The data which will be generated as a result will likely mirror the figures from the last census in 2002, which estimated indigenous peoples at 45% of the population. 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. In 2016, 34 years after committing the crimes, a group of army officers were sentenced to 120 and 240 years of imprisonment for raping15 Maya Qeqchi women andforce them into sexual slavery. So as long as they have their corn and bean fields, she says, their natural medicines and their connection to nature they'll survive." In the past years, indigenous youth have been focusing on recovering the ancestral wisdom of their grandparents. SAMUC: (Through interpreter) All of these institutions who should've come to the plate simply dropped out, including community groups and churches. Statistics clearly demonstrate persistent racism and discrimination against Indigenous Peoples. All rights reserved. We need to fight against the lack of recognition of indigenous peoples in Guatemala, as well as to protect and conserve our natural resources, which are so important to our way of life. They don't receive appropriate service in this specific situation, especially now. Without the work of these nonprofit organizations, the little help that these communities receive, would not be possible. I have heard people say, and I quote, "Imperialism is a thing of the past now." Newsflash, you're wrong. 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. More and more people do not even consider staying. All countries featured on our website can be found in the Indigenous World - IWGIA's global report on the rights of indigenous peoples. Although the Government of Guatemala has adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the countrys indigenous peoples continue to face a number of challenges. 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. But just don't ask the government to invest one filthy cent on that population. Stand up today to defend someone's rights "More and more people do not even consider staying. In August 2021, statisticians with the National Statistic Institute denounced what they considered to be attempts to manipulate the data of the price of market goods in establishing the basic cost of living, a key barometer for documenting poverty rates. 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