Mairin iwanka raya: indigenous women stand against violence

Realising the rights of Indigenous women

Published by: International Indigenous Womens Forum (FIMI) / Pan African Development Information System (PADIS) , 2006
Via: Eldis

Millions of indigenous women suffer violence in the name of tradition or as a consequence of neo-liberal economic reform. The rights framework, intended for their protection, is feeble. Persistent gaps between the global women's movement and the international Indigenous movement hamper its development. This report contributes to the advancement of a human rights debate capable of generating concrete, effective strategies to combat violence against Indigenous women. It focuses on particular contexts that give rise to such violence including migration, HIV/AIDS, armed conflict and domestic violence. Steps proposed in the report, for realising Indigenous women's right to a life free of violence include:

• developing new concepts pertaining to human rights for indigenous women
• strengthening indigenous women?s advocacy through education, data collection and public policy
• promoting indigenous women?s leadership
• advancing indigenous people?s rights

An extensive bibliography is provided along with a list of seminal documents on violence against indigenous women.