One Day is Not Enough
Fighting for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Takes Action Year-Round
Yesterday, August 9, was the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.
The day, observed since 1994, is supposed to promote the protection of Indigenous Peoples’ rights and their contributions to the environment.
But, frankly, the world’s Indigenous Peoples need our attention for more than one day.
Indigenous Peoples made up 40 percent of the environmental activists murdered last year. This is one of many signs marking a growing tide of violence against indigenous land and environment defenders.
In Colombia, for example, environmental activist Jakeline Romero received multiple death threats after she protested the expansion of El Cerrejón, Latin America’s largest open-pit coal mine. Funded by large London-based mining companies, the mine displaced indigenous communities and wreaked environmental havoc on the region’s water resources.
By law, governments and businesses are responsible for making sure that local communities give consent for development projects that compromise their land and environment. While many of them have promised to do so, it is often in response to embarrassing revelations concerning the environmental and social damage fueled by global demand for food, oil, hydropower and mineral wealth.
Unfortunately, these rights to consent are often violated.
In the case of the El Cerrejón mine’s expansion, Jakeline’s family and many others originating from the area, were never consulted. Instead, they were threatened.
In December 2016, Romero received this text message:
“Don’t focus on what doesn’t concern you [if] you want to avoid problems; your daughters are very lovely, so stop stirring other people’s pots.”
This is what’s happening every day to activists in countries like Brazil, the Philippines, Nicaragua and more.
As we take another day to recognize the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples, we must remember that indigenous and other forest peoples continue to pay with their lives for resisting development projects.
We should channel the voices of the world’s environmental defenders, those like Jakeline Romero, and urge our governments to do more to defend the rights of Indigenous Peoples. We need them to take action year-round to prohibit companies and investors from putting the lives of indigenous peoples on the front lines of the global battle to defend the environment.
