Communication is a fundamental and strategic tool for indigenous defenders. Their own communication allows them to exercise and defend their rights, learn about and articulate global and local struggles, as well as break gender roles and promote access to the media for indigenous women. But making visible the violations to which they are subjected puts their lives at risk.
Indigenous peoples are often marginalized and suffer discrimination in countries’ legal systems. This puts them at greater risk of violence and abuse. Those who defend their Human Rights and denounce violations, suffer intimidation and violence, often with the support of the State.
The territories of indigenous peoples cover more than 80% of the planet’s biodiversity, they are lands rich in natural resources: oil, gas, wood, minerals, etc. Governments and private companies appropriate their land, sell it, lease it or plunder it, and pollute it. Many indigenous peoples have been expelled from their lands due to the usurpation by megaprojects and state concessions of mineral, forest or water resources that clearly violate Convention 169 of the ILO . Indigenous defenders suffer violent acts, and are even killed, when they try to protect their territory.
We defend the rights of women and indigenous peoples
We work in the promotion, exercise and defense of women and indigenous peoples, through two axes of intervention:
- Empowerment with own communication
We strengthen the organizational, rights, gender and communication capacities of indigenous organizations and communicators.
We promote audiovisual shows in 5 countries and the CLACPI International Film and Communication Festival in Ecuador, which addresses structural causes and shares defense processes for political, gender, environmental and cultural rights on the American continent.
We promote the defense of Rights through research and advocacy, with publications specific to indigenous organizations and socialization workshops between indigenous communities from 5 countries on the American continent, communicators and general society at the International Festival and the Permanent Forum of the UN
- Comprehensive care for indigenous defenders who are victims of criminalization.
We defend with comprehensive attention Human Rights defenders, victims of criminalization in Guatemala. We offer legal defense of 5 cases involving 30 defenders from 5 departments in the country.
We provide psychosocial support to families and organizations of accused defenders
We broadcast and produce radio and television programs denouncing the violation of gender rights and collective rights of indigenous peoples.
