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UN Forum: Indigenous Women Need Rights, Health Care

By Evelyn Leopold

May 11, 2004 - UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Native women die earlier, have more children and are more frequently attacked by the men in and out of their community, according to delegates attending a U.N. forum on indigenous people.

Some 1,000 representatives, from Canada to China, many wearing traditional clothes, began an 11-day conference on Monday on rights of indigenous women as well as other issues, such as gathering proper statistics.

"Levels of violence against indigenous women are unacceptably high," said the Australian government delegate, Shirley McPherson, herself an aboriginal woman.

But she urged the forum to include in its platform a rejection of traditional practices that denigrate women, such as young girls promised as brides to older men.

"There is no room to fudge basic human right issues in deference to outdated traditional cultural practices," McPherson said.

UNICEF, the U.N. Children's Fund, says indigenous women and girls have higher rates of malnutrition than their male counterparts, die more frequently in childbirth and have a high rate of illiteracy. But it said statistics were spotty.

Stella Tamang of Nepal, head of the International Indigenous Women's Caucus, said native women often were subjected to discrimination and violence because of gender, race, class and culture. And an alarming number were sold into prostitution, none of it part of their tradition.

"For us the sun is the mother," she said. "My mother used to explain ... how the sun does its duty without any discrimination -- it warms the rich as well as the poor."

The forum is only in its third year, with indigenous people having failed to get global recognition since an abortive approach to the League of Nations in 1923.

In 2000, the U.N. Economic and Social Council, one of the world body's six main organs, agreed to create a Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, despite objections from the United States and Canada, which have native Indian populations.

The grouping is now in a stronger position to influence U.N. programs and agencies.

Opening the session, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said the creation of the forum "challenges us to ensure that the rights of one of humanity's most marginalized groups are not only heard and debated, but protected and upheld."

The United Nations estimates 370 million indigenous persons worldwide, living in 70 countries. About half of them are in Asia, with the second largest population in Latin America.

Source: Reuters

Federal Government Stooge Misleads UN

ATSIC
Media Releases

Statement by ATSIC Northern Territory Central Zone Commissioner Alison Anderson

14 May 2004 - On behalf of the ATSIC Board of Commissioners I would like to register my disgust at the misleading claims and distorted facts presented to the United Nations this week by an Indigenous woman employed by the Federal Government.

The government-appointed Chairperson of the Indigenous Land Corporation, Ms Shirley McPherson had absolutely no right to speak on behalf of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at the annual UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues.

Ms McPherson also certainly had no right at all to make extravagant claims of government progress on behalf of Indigenous people when that same government is moving to exterminate their legitimate and democratically-elected leaders.

On behalf of the Federal Government, Ms McPherson has misled the UN and the world’s Indigenous peoples about the true state of Indigenous affairs in this country.

She has presented to the UN extravagant and meaningless statistics which alleged some “steadily narrowing” gap in education, income and employment outcomes with barely a hint at the true state of Indigenous affairs in this country.

Claims of significant progress in these areas contradict every major study of Indigenous affairs during the past decade. These claims are rubbish.

Moreover as a government employee, Ms McPherson had no right whatsoever to dictate any of the terms for the drafting of the UN’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples or to speak out on traditional cultural practices.

Due to the need to fight this government’s unprincipled and immoral moves to rob Indigenous peoples of their right to be heard I was unable to attend this year’s UN Permanent Forum where ATSIC is an officially recognised conference delegate.

ATSIC last year, however, was able to tell the truth to the world’s Indigenous peoples about this government’s appalling record in Indigenous health, native title, education, employment, housing and public works.

Thanks to the government’s efforts, Indigenous people were robbed of their right to have their views put to the UN by ATSIC this year.

Worse, a government employee masquerading as a representative of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples has presented the UN with a distorted and misleading report about the reality of our lives.

I am very concerned that Ms McPherson’s outrageous performance at the UN is a sign of things to come if the government were to get away with its plans to replace a democratically-elected Indigenous leadership with hand-picked appointees.

Source: ATSIC

UN Addressed by Two Indigenous Australian Women

Two Indigenous Australian women have delivered an address to a United Nations Indigenous forum, on behalf of the Australian Government.

Ms Shirley McPherson, Chairperson of the Indigenous Land Corporation, and Ms Tania Major, Youth Officer at the Cape York Institute for Policy and Leadership today told the UN's Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues that the gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians is steadily narrowing.

'The special theme of this session of the Permanent Forum, Indigenous Women, recognises the significant contributions made by Indigenous women to their communities and of the special challenges that they face,' Senator Vanstone said.

'I'm extremely pleased that Australia has been able to be so well represented at this forum.'

In their address, Ms McPherson and Ms Major applauded the progress made by Indigenous women in Australia noting that Indigenous women now hold significant leadership roles in the arts, academia, law and as Members of Parliament and senior officials in government. However, they also acknowledged that there is still a way to go.

Ms McPherson said that '...while many Indigenous women are doing well, too many others remain dependent upon welfare payments, live in substandard housing or in communities providing few basic services. Levels of violence against Indigenous women remain unacceptably high and the number of Indigenous women in contact with the criminal justice system is increasing.'

However, Ms McPherson also said that 'governments alone cannot solve all the problems that we face….and improvements do not come overnight. To achieve improved outcomes and advance equalities for Indigenous people requires a partnership of responsibility.'

Senator Vanstone said that the Australian Government strongly supported this approach.

'Shared responsibility recognises the importance of grass roots efforts to address the particular needs of Indigenous women and their communities.'

Source: Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs

UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Indigenous Women

Statement by Ms Shirley McPherson
Chairperson of the Indigenous Land Corporation on behalf of the Australian Delegation

10 May 2004 - Mr Chair, Distinguished Delegates

The special theme of this, the third session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, is devoted to Indigenous Women, and was prompted by a recognition of the significant contributions made by those women to their communities and of the special challenges that they face. As an Indigenous Australian woman it gives me great pleasure to address the forum on behalf of the Australian government.

We wish to address the question of the rights of Indigenous girls and the relationship between traditional cultural practices and human rights. This is indeed a landscape of risk (to use the Chairman’s words) for many Indigenous girls. The landscape is threatening. Many Indigenous girls are caught between their own culture and the non- Indigenous world. Their rights must be protected and guaranteed.

In my own country there remains a profound gap between Indigenous and non- Indigenous Australia. But it is a gulf that is steadily narrowing. For example:

• The proportion of Indigenous girls who completed high school has risen from 32 per cent in 1996 to 42 per cent in 2002.
• The number of Indigenous females enrolled in higher education has increased by 74 per cent in the past decade (and the number of graduates has increased even more dramatically).

That is not to say that all is good news.

My young colleague, Tania Major, who is also here with me, could tell you that of the 15 students in her class at school in far north Queensland, she is the only one who went to university – or even finished high school.

She was the only girl in her class who did not have a child by the age of 15. For both Tania and I, education and personal determination have been the path to freedom. Tania trained as a criminologist and I trained as an accountant.

Tania and I represent a new wave of Indigenous women emerging today in Australia.

For example:

• in the last five years the number of Indigenous women with jobs increased by 27 per cent;
• the unemployment rate for Indigenous teenage girls dropped by almost a quarter; and
• As a result the median income of Indigenous women has risen by more than 20 per cent in real terms over the past decade.

Australian Indigenous women are now:

• University Professors
• Magistrates
• Members of Parliament; and
• senior officials in government.

For my part, for example, I am Chair of the Indigenous Land Corporation – a government corporation which has an annual budget of $50 million to buy back land for dispossessed Indigenous people and to assist in the management and development of that land.

None of this is to say that all Indigenous women enjoy the same degree of opportunity.

While many Indigenous women are doing well, too many others remain dependent upon welfare payments, live in substandard housing or in communities providing few basic services. Levels of violence against Indigenous women are unacceptably high, and the number of Indigenous women in contact with the criminal justice system is increasing.

Having said that, however, the question for the Permanent Forum is to identify ways in which the United Nations “system” can better address the needs of Indigenous women.

One such area is the plight of girls who are expected to become wives in early marriages.

There is no room to fudge basic human rights issues in deference to outdated traditional cultural practices. Recently in Australia we had a case of a man in his 50s attempting to use traditional law as a defence for having sexual relations with a 15-year old girl who was his “promised” wife. Fortunately the higher courts rejected this argument and subsequent legislation has now put the matter beyond doubt.

Indigenous girls now have the same legal protection as other girls.

Mr Chair

If we are really here today to take seriously the fundamental human rights of Indigenous girls who will eventually become the Indigenous women of tomorrow, we cannot compromise on this critical issue, or any other breach of human rights in the name of traditional practice. Any Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples must enshrine child protection and reject those traditional practices that are harmful. I therefore call upon this Forum, in its coordinating role, to request the Working Group to address this issue.

We recognise that government alone cannot solve all the problems that we face – and that, much as we may wish, improvements do not come overnight. To attain the long term gains that will deliver improved outcomes and advance equalities for Indigenous People requires a partnership of shared responsibility. Not only a shared responsibility between Governments and Indigenous people; but also a societal partnership that acknowledges the role of men and boys. Significant efforts are being made within Australia to develop such approaches, and by working in partnership with government our communities are seeking to build a better future for our people. Indigenous women are playing a major role in this process. We are proud of their efforts.

Source: Minister for Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs

Mulheres indígenas têm menos direitos, diz fórum da ONU

Por Evelyn Leopold

May 11, 2004 - NAÇÕES UNIDAS (Reuters) - Mulheres indígenas morrem mais cedo, têm mais filhos e são agredidas por homens de dentro e de fora de suas comunidades com mais frequência, disseram delegados reunidos em um fórum da Organização das Nações Unidas (ONU) sobre povos indígenas.

Cerca de mil delegados de vários países, vários deles usando roupas tradicionais, deram início ao encontro de 11 dias na segunda-feira à noite. A conferência discutirá os direitos das mulheres indígenas bem como outros assuntos, como a obtenção de estatísticas adequadas.

"Os níveis de violência contra as mulheres indígenas são inaceitáveis", afirmou Shirley McPherson, delegada do governo australiano e ela própria uma aborígene.

McPherson pediu que o fórum adotasse como parte de sua plataforma a luta contra práticas tradicionais que prejudicam a mulher, como a de separar garotas jovens para se casarem com homens mais velhos.

"Não tem cabimento ignorar a proteção de direitos humanos básicos para defender práticas culturais ultrapassadas", afirmou a delegada.

O Fundo das Nações Unidas para a Infância (Unicef) diz que as mulheres e garotas indígenas apresentam maiores taxas de desnutrição que seus parceiros do sexo masculino, morrem com maior frequência ao darem à luz e convivem com maiores índices de analfabetismo.

Mas, segundo o órgão, as estatísticas eram precárias.

A nepalesa Stella Tamang, líder do Grupo Internacional de Mulheres Indígenas, disse que as nativas eram frequentemente submetidas a práticas discriminatórias e violentas devido a seu sexo, raça, classe ou cultura. E um número alarmante delas era vendido para trabalharem como prostitutas.

Esse é o terceiro fórum do tipo realizado.

Em 2000, o Conselho Econômico e Social das Nações Unidas, um dos seis órgãos mais importantes da entidade mundial, aceitou criar um Fórum Permanente sobre Questões Indígenas. A medida contou com a oposição dos Estados Unidos e do Canadá, países que abrigam populações indígenas.

Source: Reuters

Secretary-General's address to the opening of third session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

Participants at 3rd Session of Forum on Indigenous Issues

10 May 2004 - New York - Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, Distinguished Members of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous People, Distinguished Elders, Distinguished representatives of Member States, Indigenous Organizations and Non-Governmental Organizations, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I welcome you all to the Third Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, and offer a special welcome to the indigenous women of the world, who are the special theme of this Session.

Just over 80 years ago, Haudenosaunee Chief Deskaheh travelled from Canada to Geneva to tell the League of Nations about the right of his people to live on their own land, follow their own laws and practise their own faiths. Chief Deskaheh was refused permission to speak and had to return home without accomplishing his mission. But his vision has inspired countless indigenous leaders since then to articulate and pursue the goals of their peoples. You – and we – have come a long way since then.

For far too long the hopes and aspirations of indigenous peoples have been ignored; their lands have been taken; their cultures denigrated or directly attacked; their languages and customs suppressed; their wisdom and traditional knowledge overlooked; and their sustainable ways of developing natural resources dismissed. Some have even faced the threat of extinction.

But the past three decades have witnessed a sea-change in global attitudes. And the last 10 years – the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People – have been marked by many striking achievements for indigenous peoples at the United Nations, not least of which is the creation of this Forum.

Its creation marked the climax of that dramatic shift in attitudes. It challenges us to ensure that the rights of one of humanity's most marginalized groups are not only heard and debated, but protected and upheld.

Today, there are some 370 million indigenous people living in more than 70 countries, sometimes as majorities, but more often as minorities, and frequently in either voluntary or forced isolation. Some are living within just a few miles of here on Native American reservations in nearby Long Island and Connecticut.

Despite those gains I have mentioned, Ladies and Gentlemen, indigenous peoples continue to suffer from prejudice and ill-will. In many cases they are trapped in the middle of conflicts, conscripted into armed forces, faced with summary executions and relocated from their lands. They are subject to extreme poverty, disease, environmental destruction and sometimes permanent displacement.

The answer to these grave threats must be to confront them without delay. History shows us that unless we grapple with such problems promptly and decisively, and in a spirit of solidarity and respect, they will only fester and deepen.

If we are to make the 21st century the “Age of prevention,” then the rest of humanity must enter into greater and more meaningful dialogue with indigenous peoples. The motto of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous People has been “partnership in action.” The time has come to give more concrete meaning to those words.

When I spoke at the first, historic session of the Permanent Forum two years ago, my message to you was simple: you have a home here. The UN system of agencies, funds and programmes is uniquely placed to help indigenous people overcome a history of discrimination and inequality. I repeat that message today.

The UN, governments, international organizations, civil society groups, private businesses and, above all, indigenous peoples themselves, can form partnerships to promote development, human rights and peace. These partnerships will only work, however, if there is genuine participation of indigenous peoples in the decisions that affect them – and if there is genuine sensitivity towards their cultures.

In this vein I endorse the inclusion of indigenous issues among the priorities of the United Nations Development Group for 2004. I encourage all relevant parts of the UN system to build partnerships and assist the Permanent Forum in implementing its mandate.

The pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 highlights the importance of these partnerships. Indigenous peoples continue to suffer disproportionately from extreme poverty, child mortality, poor maternal health, barriers to primary education, and infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.

As part of our global effort to overcome these problems, we must develop schemes that specifically target indigenous peoples. The UN will play its part in helping Member States to try to transform those MDGs into indigenous realities.

This year's theme of the Permanent Forum draws attention to the vital role played by indigenous women – not just in their communities, but in wider society as well. Too often the voices of indigenous women are not heard. Over the next two weeks – and beyond – I hope you will make certain that they are heard, and that you will find ways to ensure that our international instruments, from human rights mechanisms to development agreements to worldwide treaties, promote the rights of indigenous women and encourage their greater involvement in decision-making.

It is heartening to see so many indigenous women here today, and to know that many more over the past few months have attended gatherings in Latin America, Asia and Africa to prepare regional declarations for presentation to this Forum.

That is a welcome step, and it is also good that the Permanent Forum has identified indigenous children and youth as one of its priorities in the years ahead. Among these children will be the leaders of tomorrow. They need our help today to make sure they can achieve their full potential. We must not fail them.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I wish you every success at this year's session of the Permanent Forum. Thank you very much.

Source: UN News

UN human rights commission extends mandate of expert on indigenous rights

21 April 2004 – The mandate of the United Nations human rights expert who records and tries to help correct violations of the rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people has been renewed for another three years by the UN Commission on Human Rights.

The position has been held by Mr. Rodolfo Stavenhagen since 2001 when it was created. In his report last November, he said he had decided to focus on the implementation of recent national legislation on the rights of indigenous peoples and to review best practices for combining indigenous customary systems with the national legal system.

The Commission asked the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights to make it possible for the Special Rapporteur to attend the third annual session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues at UN headquarters next month.

The panel also approved resolutions on tackling violations of human rights and fundamental freedoms worldwide, condemning Myanmar's persistent violations of the rights of opposition leader Daw Aung San Suu Kyi and her followers, protecting human rights defenders and promoting human rights education.

It also called on all governments to reduce the number of offences for which the death penalty could be imposed and to remove the penalty altogether from their legislation if they no longer applied it.

Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

In accordance with Council resolution 2000/22, the President of the Council appointed the following eight members to the Forum for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2005:

• Hassan Id Balkassm (Morocco),
• Michael Dodson (Australia),
• Wilton Littlechild (Canada),
• Aqqaluk Lynge (Denmark),
• Nina Pacari Vega (Ecuador),
• Pavel Sulyandziga (Russian Federation),
• Parshuram Tamang (Nepal) and
• Victoria Tauli-Corpuz (Philippines).
  
  The Council then elected the following members by acclamation for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2005:
  

• Eduardo Aguiar de Almeida (Brazil),
• Yuri Boychenko (Russian Federation),
• Njuma Ekundanayo (Democratic Republic of the Congo),
  
• William Ralph Joey Langeveldt (South Africa),
• Otilia Lux de Coti (Guatemala),
• Ida Nicolaisen (Denmark) and
• Qin Xiaomei (China).
  

The Council postponed the election of one member from Eastern European States for a three-year term beginning on 1 January 2005.

Source: UN News

Annan calls for solidarity and respect as UN indigenous peoples forum opens

10 May 2004 – With native peoples worldwide continuing to encounter systemic prejudice and discrimination, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the international community to confront such ill-will head on, in a spirit of solidarity and respect, to help indigenous peoples overcome a history of inequality.

Opening the Third Session of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Secretary-General said despite a dramatic shift in global attitudes, indigenous peoples still suffered disproportionately from extreme poverty and faced serious barriers to health care and basic education.

Such threats would only "fester and deepen" without immediate and decisive action, he added, calling for particular focus on promoting the rights of indigenous women and encouraging their greater involvement in decision-making.

Some 1,500 people from about 500 groups will meet over the next two weeks at UN Headquarters in New York to focus attention on indigenous women and girls, whose well-being is critical to the survival and prosperity of their peoples' unique culture in this age of globalization.

As keepers of gender-specific traditional knowledge, it is mainly through the indigenous woman that traditional language and culture is transmitted from one generation to the next. Their vulnerability has been amply demonstrated, and this year's Forum is an opportunity to exchange good practices in protecting and supporting indigenous women.

"For far too long the hopes and aspirations of indigenous peoples have been ignored," Mr, Annan said in his opening address, recalling that "partnership in action" was the motto of the UN International Decade of the World's Indigenous people. "The time has come to give concrete meaning to those words."

But, he warned, partnerships among governments, the UN, civic action groups and private businesses will only work if there is genuine participation of indigenous peoples in the decisions that affect them - and if there is a genuine sensitivity towards their cultures.

The Forum advises and makes recommendations to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on social development, economic, cultural, human rights, environmental, education and health issues.

This year's session will feature a number of panel discussions and round-table meetings with indigenous and women's rights experts, including former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson, now the Chairperson of the Council of Women World Leaders and Executive Director of the Ethical Globalization Initiative.

Source: UN News

Further information:

• UN Report on racism should be taken seriously
  March 27, 2002 - HREOC - Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Justice Commissioner... Dr William Jonas, called on the Federal Government to treat seriously the concerns raised by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Racism in his report on Australia to the UN Commission on Human Rights.
• We ignore UN rights report at our peril
  December 29, 2000 - Australia must recognise the increasing links between international trade and human rights, writes Angela Ward (Associate Professor in International Law at Essex University, and junior counsel to Cherie Booth, QC).
• Canberra denies unease over Blair
  July 15, 2000 - The Federal Government has denied embarrassment over the involvement of Cherie Booth, the barrister wife of British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in an international legal challenge by Aborigines to the government's mandatory sentencing laws.
• The Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples
• The United Nations section of ENIAR
• Health clippings and background

   

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