Resources

“To address the specific situations faced by indigenous women, the collective rights of indigenous peoples must be recognized as part of protecting the individual rights of indigenous persons. Interpretation and application of human rights treaties concerned with individual rights, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), should happen with reference to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples”Recommendation made to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW Committee) by AIPP, NIWF and FPP

We, Indigenous women from the seven sociocultural regions of the world, met at the World Conference of Indigenous Women, ‘Progress and Challenges Regarding the Future We Want’ in Lima, Peru, from October 28th to the 30th of 2013. Our gathering included elders and youth, urban and rural, knowledge holders and healers, activists and artists.

We live in a time when public opinion is demanding a fairer and more equitable planet. There is no more important element to address this than the equality of men and women. This 4-minute animation video, produced by AIPP, outlines the recommendations from CEDAW (Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women) and UNDRIP (UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) particularly on indigenous women that guide and help us to move in this direction.

A group of Colombian indigenous women have prepared a shadow report that they will present to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) during its 56th session, currently underway in Geneva. 

Fifteen organisations working with indigenous women, including Forest Peoples Programme, have joined forces to emphasise the injustice and multiple forms of discrimination suffered by indigenous women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (the Committee). States are required to submit reports to the Committee every four years, describing legislative, judicial, administrative or other measures they have adopted to implement the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (the Convention). The DRC’s report will be examined by the Committee on 11 July 2013 in the presence of a delegation of Congolese government representatives. The proceedings can be watched live online at: http://www.treatybodywebcast.org/.

Source: MyRepublicaThe contours of “New Nepal” we all dream of cannot be shaped without appropriately addressing the concerns being raised by the indigenous women, who comprise half the female population. Traditionally, these women enjoyed greater degree of freedom and socioeconomic status than those from the so-called high caste Hindu groups such as Bahun, Chhetri, and Thakuri, who were restricted by pervasive patriarchy and religious orthodoxy. Unlike these women of the Indo-Aryan origin, the indigenous women were adept in handicrafts and other enterprises and freely participated in socio-cultural events. They faced no restriction during menstruation and were even free to choose their life partner and to remarry if they became single. They were also less affected by the dowry system.

Letter to request that the situation of indigenous women of Cameroon be included in the list of questions arising from the Cameroon government's periodic report, for the attention of the pre-session working group (57th Session of the CEDAW Committee)To read the letter please click here

Available in English, French and Spanish.Please click here to view this document.  

This week, indigenous women from throughout the Asia-Pacific region have gathered to raise their voices and present their concerns to the on-going session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in New York. This session of the CSW is focusing on the priority theme of violence against women and girls.

The following statement is from the indigenous women participants (Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Thailand) in the workshop on Grounding the Global: Strategising Workshop for the 57th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women from 3-4 February 2013. Bangkok. It was organised by APWLD, AIPP, DPI-AP and FWCC.