Goal 5: Gender equality and empowerment of women and girls

Indigenous women face multiple discrimination and disempowerment due to the intersectionality of their status as women, as indigenous and as poor. They are victims of discriminatory policies and the prevailing patriarchal system of most indigenous institutions, resulting in all forms of violence and exclusion in decision-making processes. Indigenous women have less access to education, health services and employment, among others. Lack of citizenship of indigenous peoples in some countries exacerbates the multiple discrimination faced by indigenous women. Further, militarization and conflicts are exacerbating their vulnerability to violence.

According to US government statistics, Native American and Alaska Native women are more than 2.5 times more likely to be raped or sexually assaulted than other women in the USA.[1] In Bangladesh, according to the report from Kapaeeng Foundation, there were 58 documented cases of physical and sexual abuse in 2016, and 17 rape cases.

Land is a critical resource for woman in the event of separation, divorce, abandonment, multiple marriage relationships or death of their husbands. But property right is another area of discrimination for indigenous women. In Central India and rural areas in Nepal, witch-hunting is rampant in many indigenous villages against widows who have inherited from their husbands, among many other reasons. In Laos, with the exception of the Brao peoples, women are consistently disadvantaged with respect to land and property rights regardless of status (e.g., divorce, widowed or single). Widows tend to be dependent on their children, as a wife is primarily seen as a guardian of the children's inheritance rather than an independent inheritor. Indigenous women in Cambodia however have gained some headway, with the country’s Land Law providing for joint land ownership by husband and wife and for titles to bear both their names.^[2]

Bride kidnapping, forced marriage and domestic violence still persists in some indigenous societies. In Myanmar’s borders with China and Thailand, of 133 verified and suspected cases of trafficking involving 163 women and girls from Kachin and Northern Shan State documented in 2004-2007, 90 in the confirmed cases were sold to men in other countries as forced brides. Of this number, 94% of them were sent to China.^[3]

Indigenous women continue to play vital roles in their communities. They are engaging in sustainable resource management and are main food producers and holders of traditional knowledge that is critical to food security, resilience and adaptation to climate change, social cohesion and peace-keeping, among others.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz has noted that: “Land appropriation is not gender neutral and indigenous women’s rights interact with violations of collective land rights. The gendered effects of those violations become manifest in situations where indigenous women lose their traditional livelihoods, such as food gathering, agricultural production, herding, among others, while compensation and jobs following land seizure tend to benefit male members of indigenous communities.”^[4]

Good Practices in Empowering Indigenous Women

In Uganda, women economic empowerment is being supported by a project initiated by the Foundation for Integrated Rural Development (FIRD). The project provides women with seed grants, and is mobilizing and supporting women to engage in Community Village Saving Loans and Associations (VSLAs) where indigenous women and girls are trained in financial, management and entrepreneurship skills. These VSLAs play a key role in ensuring that indigenous women who are group members have access to financial services. Through this project, FIRD seeks to ensure that the indigenous women and their families have increased access to cash, access to food and increased awareness on gender-based violence and life skills, livelihood diversification, and small business management skills.

In Nicaragua, the international women's rights organization MADRE and its local Nicaraguan partner, Wangki Tangni, launched an innovative radio project supported by the UN Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women. The project targets more than 63 communities in the region. Information about women's rights, human rights and indigenous concepts of peaceful life is being disseminated through this radio station. It is the only radio station in the region that transmits programs in the local Miskito language. The use of the indigenous language generated greater impact at the community level. Also, they have learned how to include men in the process to eradicate the violence in the community.

In Central America, the Alianza de Mujeres Indígenas de CA y Mexico created their own news agency based on traditional knowledge and led by indigenous women

In Indonesia, in the midst of increasing disempowerment of indigenous peoples from impacts of palm oil plantations in their communities, Jawatn women from the villages of Boti, Sungai Sambang and Mondi in Sekadau Hulu subdistrict, Sekadau District in West Kalimantan, Indonesia are organizing themselves to strengthen their institutions to take back and recover the integrity of their lands and territories, economic systems, culture and their dignity. The Indonesia Forestry Minister Decree No. 7333 (2 September 2014) classified these three villages under “Other Use Area” predisposing six customary forests measuring about 196 hectares into palm oil concessions licensed by the government. This has disproportionately impacted on the dignity of the “guardians of the land”–the women–whose traditional water, food and economic systems and livelihoods have been threatened with pollution resulting from the heavy chemicals from the palm oil industry. Other impacts being experienced are indebtedness and eventual sale of land. There is progressive loss of natural resources and indigenous knowledge on sustainable forest-use and management as traditional social, cultural and political systems are eroded by divisions created within the community and the lack of appropriate information for effective response and decision-making, among others.

Armed with a better understanding of their situation and a vision of advancing their status and well-being through sustainable forest protection and management, indigenous women from these communities agreed to:

1. Pursue the advancement of their rights as indigenous peoples, as women and citizens of the state of Indonesia;
2. Protect their customary forests and resources from external investments through active engagement in participatory community mapping, management and governance;
3. Engage the state of Indonesia towards the recognition of the Jawatn peoples’ vision and strategies for development;
4. Campaign against the expansion of palm oil investments in their territories and call for the withdrawal by the state of irregularly acquired licenses and the compliance to community commitments made by existing companies; and
5. Bring this Jawatn Women’s Agenda to the attention of customary and village administration for adoption as reference for land and resource protection, development planning and empowerment of women.

Bound as a collective, the process and development of the Jawatn Women’s Struggle Agenda has given them confidence in articulating themselves in their daily practice and advocacy. They have started organizing themselves in small groups of 20s to operationalize this agenda within their own families and villages through various learning and advocacy spaces available, including village meetings. They have also started addressing domestic issues collectively, i.e., ensuring safe water and well-being of children vis-à-vis the pollution of the Menterap river from the effluence of the palm oil plantations.^[5]

In India, the Santhal women in Mohuldanga, Chhaglakuri, Udaydihi, Amgachhi, Fulbagab, Tulbosona, Barabad villages under the Charicha local Self-Government of Md. Bazar Block, Birbhum district in West Bengal, India launched their  “Jal (water), Jamin (Forest) and Jungle” campaign thru a program called “Kannyabriksha” which literally means girl child like a tree. The campaign hopes to address the optimum use of limited land, water and human capital while engendering women and girl’s empowerment.

Capitalizing on their indigenous knowledge on biodiversity, resource regeneration and customary agricultural practices, these women organized themselves as Self-Help Groups (SHGs) and spearheaded the development of 20 acres of barren lands. They established organic orchards and vegetable gardens, developed irrigation system to regenerate the lands and resources and are tapping available support services, resources and opportunities to address the multi-dimensional factors influencing their poverty status.

With the facilitation of the Surul Centre for Services in Rural Areas, they were able to tap government resources for seedlings, agriculture-related skills trainings under the Visva Bharati University, and access  of 350 households to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (which provides wage employment for 100 days to poor rural families among others). They were also able to demand the installation of water infrastructure (tube wells) from the government’s Block Development Office. Significantly, 17 households have also reportedly accessed land ownership out of the 94 who applied for claims under the Forest Dwellers’ Act, 2006. They were also granted land by the government for “Majhi Bathan” – a Santhal cultural and religious activity.

Despite different challenges, the results of synergized community initiatives for their own well-being and efforts of tapping government programs and resources have been encouraging. To date they are looking forward to further support to sustain their initiatives thru the submission of a proposal to the National Agricultural Bank for Rural Development (NABARD), application to the National Rural Livelihood Mission for credit and marketing support, among others, and advance the recognition of women as farmers under the Provident Fund for Landless Agricultural Labourers.^[6]

Recommendations:

1. Adopt special measures to combat discrimination, violence and harful practices, developed and implemented with full, equal, and effective participation of indigenous women.
2. Legally recognize the land rights of indigenous women including within the collective land rights of indigenous peoples.
3. Undertake legislative reforms, capacity building and implement in collaboration with indigenous women and their organizations, policies and programmes to overcome discrimination and violence.
4. Develop and implement affirmative policies to ensure participation of indigenous women in decision-making processes, bodies and mechanis
5. Ensure indicators/data disaggregated by ethnicity and gender for the appropriate formulation of public policies that guarantee well-being and services in indigenous communities (Resolution 56/4. Indigenous women: key actors in poverty and hunger eradication E/2012/27 E/CN.6/2012/16)
6. Take measures to promote economic empowerment of indigenous women taking into account their traditional knowledge in order to strengthen their leadership and improve their sustainable development (Agreed conclusion CSW61 E/CN.6/2017/L.5)

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[1] Amnesty International, Maze of Injustice,  http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/issues/women-s- rights/violence-against-women/maze-of-injustice, accessed April 20, 2017.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Victoria Tauli Corpuz, Report of the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, August 5, 2015 A/HRC/30/41

[5] Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago – West Kalimantan. Project Documents and 1^st -3^rd Progress Reports to Tebtebba for the  Project “Strengthening Indigenous Jawatn Dayak Communities’ Capacity Building (Especially the Women ) in Three Villages to Manage their Indigenous Forest/Territory Sustainably” supported by the IFAD under the Indigenous Peoples’ Assistance Facility.

[6] Surul Centre for Services in Rural Area. Project Documents and Progress Reports (1^st – 3^rd) submitted to Tebtebba for the project “Revamping Livelihood of Santhal tribe through  WADI Approach” supported by the IFAD under the Indigenous Peoples’ Assistance Facility.

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