Indigenous women’s voices are silenced
Indigenous women’s participation in development also tends to be neglected. The extractive industry and giant plantations have separated women and their voices so that they are unable to determine their own destinies.
“As I observed in the Forum, most challenges and issues mentioned on indigenous people in Asia and other parts of the world include marginalization, poverty, disease and violence. I am also dissatisfied with the lack of data and record on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly on indigenous women and girls, and the lesson learned from the pandemic. For example, the distribution and access to COVID-19 vaccinations for women and girls and the challenge of selling agricultural products due to social restrictions. Health services for indigenous peoples during the pandemic require the right approach. These interventions must consider local wisdom and values. The introduction of new knowledge in the form of science, technology, school education and development can eliminate local knowledge and wisdom,” she noted.
Indigenous women and women are also vulnerable to being perceived as undeveloped and uncivilized.
Read: Nukila Evanty: speaking for the rights of Indigenous Peoples before the UN
Therefore, through the Forum, Nukila proposed four recommendations. First, the UN Agencies must push and facilitate governments and companies to create clear judicial mechanisms and protocols for conducting business in indigenous peoples’ areas. The governments and ministries must be in charge and not allow businesses that operate without following protocols or having clear Standard Operating Procedures. Second, the UN Agencies should support indigenous people’s organizations in expertise and capacity building, particularly for women, and be involved in every decision-making. Third, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Kyoto Protocol, UN Guiding Principles on Human Rights and SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) should be implemented instead of being empty laws in books. Fourth, the Indonesian Government must ensure to deliver its duties to implement CEDAW’s GR39, in relation to the rights of Indigenous women and girls under the Convention, by considering the unique condition of indigenous women and girls as they are also part of indigenous peoples. (des)