In places like Santiago Atitlan and Santa Maria, Spanish isn't widely spoken, and many people are illiterate, without a television or computer, which is how the government was disseminating health information. Nearly 70 percent of the population of Guatemala is outside of the formal economy. There have also been no culturally-relevant communication programmes in native languages. "We remain deeply concerned about long periods of pre-trial detention and the repeated suspension of hearings, which prolongs trials," the experts said. VELASQUEZ NIMANTUJ: There is a lot of racists against the Indigenous people. The UN Human Rights Office and the mechanisms we support work on a wide range of human rights topics. . Read the full text about the countries in the newest version of The Indigenous World. USAID also provides professional development opportunities to the indigenous leaders with an emphasis on youth and women. Racism and patriarchy present profound challenges within the Guatemalan prison system. In 1523, the Spanish, led by Pedro de Alvarado, conquered Central-America and Mexico including what is now Guatemalas Quich region. Regardless of the actual percentage that constitutes Guatemalas indigenous population, the Maya can be considered a minority when referring to a category of people who experience relative disadvantage as compared to members of a dominant social group (1). 4 out of 5 indigenous people live in poverty, and 21.8% of the indigenous . A law that threatens the right to defend human rights entered into force. A year ago, as one of his first acts in office, President Alejandro Giammattei slashed the budget of the so-called. . In the city of Solol, Indigenous people blocked the Inter-American highway in protest at the government's restriction on the transportation of local products while large companies were exempt. This affront marked a rift between the government and the Indigenous people, who denounced this racist and overbearing treatment and demanded substantial changes in the way the state is run. #Standup4humanrights Written on 25 November 2020. Thankfully, 60% of our partner organizations work with indigenous communities, supporting them with healthcare, education, empowerment workshops, and community development initiatives. Posted in Guatemala. The pandemic shone a light on the social exclusion and structural racism affecting Guatemalas Indigenous population, and severely affected their living conditions, exacerbating their poverty and food insecurity. Guatemala is formed by diverse ethnic groups, especially those of Mayan descent, and the State recognizes, promotes and respects their ways of life, customs, traditions, and ways of social organization.. GUATEMALA ON FILM Here are five commercially available films to give a sense of Guatemalan history and culture. Review of the burden of vision impairment and blindness and ocular disease occurrence in Indigenous Peoples of the Americas. MARTIN: Which is another falsehood. All countries featured on our website can be found in the Indigenous World - IWGIA's global report on the rights of indigenous peoples. Yet, for the Indigenous populations of Guatemala, independence has not meant an end to racism, exploitation, and abandonment. Voting was scheduled to start at 8:30 a.m. (0730 GMT) in Nigeria's presidential and parliamentary election, though Reuters reporters in several locations across the country saw polling stations. While he did not succeed in ending the civil war, he did play an important role in the Central-American Peace Accord of 1987 which helped lay a foundation to the end of the war. The pandemic did not stop the Indigenous struggle for recognition of their fundamental rights, although criminalisation of land and territorial defenders also increased. During his presidency, Arvalo made a number of positive changes for the country granting Guatemalan women the right to vote, allowing freedom of speech and reforming social security, healthcare, and education. Official data indicates that poverty affects 75% of Indigenous people and 36% of non-indigenous people; chronic malnutrition affects 58% of Indigenous people and 38% of non-indigenous people; and, in terms of political participation, Indigenous individuals represent no more than 15% of parliamentarians and high-ranking public officials. Manuel Picahau gets his news from a local station. Corruption is rampant, impunity reigns, quality economic opportunity remains elusive for youths, insecurity permeates all levels of society, and, for many, there is no way out. The few hospitals and health centres operational were already on their knees before the pandemic and, although the government boasted of its investment in their improvement, in reality this related only to a few temporary centres with makeshift equipment that did not live up to the needs of the situation. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. For example: the state invests USD0.4 per day in each Indigenous person and USD0.9 per day in each non-indigenous person;[1] poverty affects 75% of Indigenous people and 36% of non-indigenous people;[2] chronic malnutrition affects 58% of Indigenous people and 38% of non-indigenous people;[3] and, in terms of political participation, Indigenous individuals represent no more than 15% of parliamentarians and high-ranking public officials. Guatemala recorded the lowest percentage of people fully vaccinated against Covid-19 in Latin America amid corruption allegations. RATZAN PABLO: They remember how the disease is coming, you know? Written on 24 April 2019. However, alternative reports indicate this number is actually closer to 60%, meaning a majority of the Guatemalan population is indigenous. The pandemic has also made living conditions, particularly for the Indigenous population, more difficult due to the restrictions on movement and access to markets and sources of labour. IP leaders call for unity to preserve IPRA, NCIP gains MANILA - Leaders of the indigenous peoples (IPs) in Mindanao called for unity to preserve the gains Social exclusion is demonstrated in a lack of health services sufficiently equipped to meet the needs of the Indigenous population, especially those living in remote areas. In October and November 2020, the Central American region was devastated by hurricanes Eta and Iota, wreaking havoc on the people and their livelihoods, especially the Indigenous Peoples of the Atlantic Coast or Northern Lowlands. In 1944, Juan Jos Arvalo, a critic of Ubico, was named president of Guatemala. El Peridico, 23 May 2020. https://elperiodico.com.gt/nacionales/2020/05/23/pueblos-indigenas-los-mas-vulnerables-ante-el-covid-19/, [8] Escobar, Erving. They can face stigma and discrimination. Another challenge for Guatemalas Indigenous Peoples relates to the absence of a water act. Moreover, a 2018 investigation by the Guatemalan daily newspaper Prensa Libre showed that, in recent years, the largely Indigenous departments of San Marcos and Huehuetenango have registered more than 50 percent of all abandoned public works projects. Accuracy and availability may vary. [16], There was no halt to the criminalisation of community members defending their territories and natural resources from dispossession and extractivism despite the pandemic. The traditional use of steam baths (tuj, chuj or temascal) using native plants has been used since ancient times to improve the immune system and is frequently used by midwives in their therapies. Written on 01 April 2022. The rights of indigenous people to make decisions about their cultural heritage and traditional way of life is being recognized in a United Nations photo exhibition. Encanto, a 2021 film from Disney, can give children a sense of Latin American culture.A reviewer writes, "As a component of many Latin American books, magic realism has been a key component of the Latin literary writing style since the 20th century. GUATEMALA 2021 Increased criminalization was used as a strategy to intimidate those working in the administration of justice. IWGIA - International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs - is a global human rights organisation dedicated to promoting, protecting and defending Indigenous Peoples rights. Comunidades Xinkas de la Costa Pacfica y comunidades Maya Che` Orti` convocan a conferencia de prensa. [Xinka communities of the Pacific Coast and Maya CheOrt communities call press conference] Facebook, 31 October 2019. https://www.facebook.com/comundichgt/photos/a.110418727061610/110417707061712/?type=3. Since the Spanish conquest in 1524, Guatemalas indigenous community has continually fought to maintain and to win back their territory. One of the main struggles for Indigenous Peoples in Guatemala relates to political participation. Guatemalas government does not take any measures to empower its indigenous community or ensure access to basic resources. In August 2021, statisticians with the National Statistic Institute denounced what they considered to be attempts to manipulate the data of the price of market goods in establishing the basic cost of living, a key barometer for documenting poverty rates. At the same time, the countrys health ministry has cut funding for addressing malnutrition. Although the Government of Guatemala has adopted the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the countrys indigenous peoples continue to face a number of challenges. Over 43.75% of Guatemalans more than 6.5 million people identify as indigenous, thats over 6.5 million Guatemalans. Any survivors were enslaved and forced to work on their stolen land. Indigenous People Could Lead the Way. This includes a diverse array of communities and different ethnic groups including the Maya (representing the largest indigenous community in the country), Garifuna, and Xinka Peoples. Amid more than 20,000 complaints of violence, few facilities are available for women to . The impacts on Indigenous women emerged in the additional workload they had to endure in relation to household tasks and the impossibility of carrying out their economic activities. SAMUC: (Through interpreter) All of these institutions who should've come to the plate simply dropped out, including community groups and churches. Posted in Guatemala, The world of the Q'eqch. Cobn Prison, where he is held, is overcrowded, and has poor infrastructure, food and health services, the experts said. The most notable candidate was Telma Cabrera who came in fourth, the highest place achieved by an indigenous leader so far. Extensive global experience with environmental assessments, socio-economics, traditional ecological knowledge, and enhancing community well-being.<br><br>Supporting consultation services for First Nation Impact Benefit Agreements and Indigenous Economic Development Corporations . An official website of the United States government. Guatemala has ratified ILO Convention 169 (which the Constitutional Court elevated to constitutional status in 2010, obliging the country to recognise the rights of Indigenous Peoples), the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, and the FAO Policy on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. Based on data from August 2021 to August 2022, the organisation said Guatemala had entered the "high restrictions" category, dropping two places in their country ranking because of serious ongoing attacks on the press. The use, management, and conservation of water are not officially regulated, andseveral private companies take advantage of this by not paying for their water usage, nor contributing to water conservation, and without assumingany responsibility for pollution caused by discharges of waste. Anthropologist Irma Alicia Velasquez Nimantuj is a K'iche' Maya who teaches at the University of Oregon. According to the multidimensional poverty index, the rate of poverty is 80% among Indigenous people and 50.1% among non-indigenous people,[6] thus creating an unequal basis from which to attempt to prevent the pandemic in terms of frequent hand washing, the use of masks, disinfectants and essential medicines, items that most Indigenous people simply cannot afford. The Strategy provides a roadmap to improve development outcomes by addressing the inequities historically suffered by Indigenous Peoples, while elevating their contributions and knowledge within society. This has led many to consider irregular migration as a remedy to these problems, especially when food insecurity and lack of economic opportunity is an imminent threat. MARTIN: Ratzan Pablo believes in the power of prayer but also of modern medicine. I cant find the information I need, can I talk to someone? Sadly, Guatemala's indigenous population faces higher rates of poverty, racism, and exclusion than non-indigenous Guatemalans. During these years of growth, specifically under dictator Jorge Ubico, local autonomy was also reduced, especially in indigenous communities. Guatemala has a population of 14.9 million people, of which 6.5 million (43.75%) belong to the 22 Mayan (Achi, Akatec, Awakatec, Chalchitec, Chort, Chuj, Itz, Ixil, Jacaltec, Kaqchikel, Kiche, Mam, Mopan, Poqomam, Poqomch, Qanjobal, Q'eqch, Sakapultec, Sipakapense, Tektitek, Tzutujil and Uspantek), one Garfuna, one Xinca and one Creole or Afro-descendant peoples. VELASQUEZ NIMANTUJ: The problem with the government, being the president and the minister, is they don't care about Indigenous people. On International Day of Indigenous Peoples, Indigenous organisations stressed the need to be included and participating in COVID-19 response strategies, asked to be consulted and demanded culturally-relevant approaches. 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