O International Day of Indigenous Peoples is a date celebrated worldwide on the 9th of August and was established by United Nations (UN) in 1995 to express international recognition for these peoples, who still lack the maintenance of some of their most basic rights.
According to data from the UN itself, the indigenous population in the world is estimated at around 370 million people, which represents something around 5% of the world's population. However, according to the organization, these people make up about a third of the poorest population in the world and are exposed to a series of problems, which they include disease, discrimination, persecution, low life expectancy, territorial threats and few guarantees to see their rights fulfilled. humans.
On September 7, 2007, the UN also approved the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples¹, which aims to guarantee and reaffirm the basic rights of this population around the world, serving as instrument for the imposition of sanctions on those countries and governments that do not seek to maintain such rights.
Among the points defended by this statement, we can highlight some statements, such as:
– Indigenous people are fully included in the International Declaration of Human Rights;
– Indigenous peoples are equal to other peoples and cannot suffer any type of discrimination;
– The right to self-determination, considered legitimate for all international entities;
– The right to own nationality;
– Indigenous peoples must have their physical and cultural integrity preserved, which must also be guaranteed by the States;
– The population in question cannot be forcibly removed from their territories;
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– Indigenous people have the right to use, educate and disseminate their own language;
– The indigenous population has the right to exercise their spiritual beliefs;
– The State must guarantee financial assistance, if necessary, for the maintenance of the basic rights of indigenous peoples.
In addition to these, there are several other points in the letter prepared by the UN, which comprises a total of 46 articles and which stands as a enumeration of the most basic rights of these peoples, but which cannot be considered as an instrument that imposes a limit or a ceiling on these rights.
It is important to emphasize, however, that many of these and other rights of indigenous peoples are not properly fulfilled around the world. To give you an idea, 50% of all adult Indians in the world suffer from type 2 diabetes. In the US, an Indian is 600 times more susceptible to contracting tuberculosis than another citizen of the country. In Australia, the life expectancy of Aboriginal peoples is 20 times lower than that of the rest of the country's population. In Brazil, attacks on indigenous territories by squatters and land grabbers are frequent, causing the eradication of many ethnic groups and linguistic branches.
Therefore, on the International Day of Indigenous Peoples, more than just celebrating the occasion of a date and paying symbolic homage, it is necessary that the population undertakes an agenda of struggles and demands to ensure that the Indians of Brazil and the world do not have their basic rights even more curtailed.
¹ The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples can be accessed directly on here.
By Me. Rodolfo Alves Pena
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
PENA, Rodolfo F. Alves. "August 9 — International Day of Indigenous Peoples"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/datas-comemorativas/dia-internacional-dos-povos-indigenas.htm. Accessed on June 27, 2021.
