April 4th 2020 -In Peru, the State has taken measures to face the consequences of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID19). Today we live in the midst of compulsory social isolation measures, health protocols, virtual home education, economic bonuses for poor families, freezing of financial debts and limited provision of food. Indigenous Peoples have been excluded in their daily life needs and this is manifested in high levels of unemployment, lower than average income, lower education level, access to intercultural health services, among others. It’s known that many of the Indigenous Peoples proposed public policies and plans have not been taken into account or nor have any proposals from them have been adopted.
Article 25 of Convention No. 169 of the International Labor Organization (ILO) establishes that States have the obligation to make adequate health services available to Indigenous Peoples, considering their economic, geographic, social and cultural conditions, and its prevention methods, curative practices and traditional medicines. Likewise, it establishes that social security regimes must also tend for for those interested concerned peoples without any discrimination. Therefore, it is important that the different measures, should be programmed and organized at the community level with the cooperation of the Indigenous Peoples regarding their planning and administration (Articles 24, and 25.2 respectively).
Indigenous Peoples are among the most vulnerable population. It’s estimated that the indigenous population of Latin America reaches around 44 million people. Generally they face high levels of poverty and discrimination, as well as limited access to health, education, sanitation and other services. Currently there are 55 indigenous communities or native peoples live in Peru, of which 51 are native to the Amazon and 4 to the Andes. There are also Indigenous Peoples in a state of complete isolation, those who are more exposed to health, territorial, sociocultural and demographic vulnerability. In figures from the last census of the National Institute of Statistics and Informatics – INEI, 25.80% of the census population (equivalent to 5 million 985,551 people) has identified as part of some indigenous or native people.
For the Ombudsman, within the “special protection group” are the Indigenous Peoples. This is because “the existence of diverse cultures in our country, far from being valued as a contribution, has highlighted various modes of discrimination and exclusion of Indigenous peoples, expressed in the little exercise of their duties and rights, as well as in the low participation in decision-making, even when they are factors that affect their development. The lack of a comprehensive policy that takes into account the rights of indigenous peoples must be a priority in the country ”.
The president of the Interethnic Association for the Development of the Peruvian Jungle (AIDESEP), Lizardo Cauper, declared that
“in native communities there is no clear, precise and timely information, so we suggest greater dissemination of information, awareness and socialization, we see that the Peruvian Ministry of Health (MINSA) does not have a contingency plan for Indigenous Peoples in vulnerable conditions ”.
From the Board of Directors of the Coordinator of the Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), Tabea Casique of the Asháninka people of the Peruvian Amazon, expressed the concern of indigenous peoples
“we are aware that this virus could cause human extermination in our communities. In cities there are hospitals less than five minutes away, in communities the opposite is true, to get medical attention you have to travel for hours, days and weeks. The death of our elders and women would cause immense loss to the indigenous population, they are our living libraries that possess and transmit traditional knowledge from generation to generation ”.
Likewise, they call on governments to coordinate with their organizations to channel and make their initiatives possible in the face of this pandemic. Indigenous organizations actively request more information on the prevention of this pandemic in their own languages.
“Indigenous peoples, out of their own initiative, close the accesses to the territorial border routes, in compliance with the state of sanitary emergency decreed by the governments. There should be an immediate emergency contingency, in the event that there are indigenous patients in the communities. Such contingencies include the restriction of mobility of land, river, and air transport, create fences in the communities to prevent the spread of the pandemic in Indigenous Peoples, create organizations of Indigenous Peoples with political decision-making and prepare budgets to attend to these cases, in health, education, economy and others of collective interest, ”said indigenous leader Tabea Casique.
The indigenous governance has been taking actions in their territories, generating proposals for joint efforts with the different government authorities. Some proposals reflected in pronouncements and exhortations to be taken into account and have allowed the opportunity to participate in state decision-making , like any citizen.
For her part, Ruth Buendía, (environmental activist and indigenous leader recognized with the 2014 Goldman Environmental Prize) requests the State to rapidly implement health posts, hospitals, near their communities.
«We ask to train and educate health officials in interculturality, in different towns in the Peruvian Amazon. We urge the authorities to coordinate between sectors such as health, education and local governance so that they may capacitate teachers, officials and health professionals on COVID19 who have been working directly with the communities, since these personnel come from different cities of the country and they are coordinating with the communal authorities. Dengue, malaria, malnutrition and anemia afflict our peoples and they have not been responding or giving the necessary importance, now we have to fight against the COVID19 virus ”.
Ruth Buendía highlighted that interculturality in health is an issue that still needs to be developed with greater importance on the State’s agenda.
«Let us not forget that the State’s effort on interculturality arose as a response to claims by Indigenous Peoples and their right to identity cultural, in that sense, we hope that the educational measures via virtual or other means of communication are inclusive, considering the intercultural approach and the reality of our children ”.
Through the media, it’s been made known that the conditions of health services is one of main concerns. For many, the western health system has been imposed on the communities without taking into account the cultural and economic reality. The health system of urban or marginal urban areas has not been able to replicate in indigenous populations where they lack access to basic services such as water, electricity, among others.
In article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, it establishes that the States Parties (signatories) must protect the right of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest possible level of physical and mental health, giving importance to prevention. and the treatment of and control of epidemic, endemic, professional and other diseases.
Along these same lines, the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of the United Nations Organization, in its General Comment No. 1414, mentions that it is important that the State must guarantee the right to proper healthcare for indigenous peoples. This is because it is important to have a sufficient number of establishments, supplies, equipment and health professions, taking into account the conditions of remoteness and population dispersion. Indigenous peoples should all be affiliated to a proper and accepting healthcare insurance system. They should not be limited to their healthcare based on their heritage or ethnicity. In this way, the hope is to count with trained personnel to give an integral healthcare service with an intercultural approach.
The Ministry of Health of Peru is already working on articulating the Intercultural Health Sector Policy, as well as the strategies and norms in intercultural health to guide and achieve the well-being of the Indigenous Peoples. The Ministry should develop actions of awareness, training , informative materials taking into account the intercultural relevance in the different strategies of prevention. The Peruvian government has prioritized the health of Peruvians over the economy, especially under this circumstance. Today more than ever, the protection of health is in the public interest, where public health is the primary responsibility of the State. Intercultural health will also have to have an important scenario in the face of the COVID19 fight, along with dengue, malaria, anemia and malnutrition, and others.
Availability and access to food for Indigenous Peoples to face the pandemic
Photo by: Cesar Von Bancels
The right to adequate food is a fundamental human right, and as such, it must be protected especially for the most vulnerable populations.
Different studies show that Indigenous Peoples face a higher risk of food insecurity and malnutrition than other groups. This is because historically they suffer from higher levels of poverty, less availability of resources and an increasing dependence on cheaper food, although with a high degree of processing.
During the World Summit on Food Security in November 2009, Member States of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), pledged to “actively promote the consumption of food, especially locally produced. This would contribute to incentivizing diversified diets. This initiative was taken as a best way to address micronutrient deficiencies and other forms of malnutrition, particularly among vulnerable groups. ”
Indigenous Peoples have a critical role to play in promoting sustainable diets and resilient food systems. At the same time, Indigenous Peoples «food sovereignty» is at risk from the erosion of traditional food systems. For Indigenous Peoples, “food security” also means the right to choose the types of food you want to eat and prepare according to traditional methods. Sustainable diets based on local foods preserve both the ecosystems and the traditions of indigenous peoples. Therefore, the right to food is closely related to the fulfillment of cultural rights and the two should be applied together.
The role of indigenous women in planting, harvesting and preparing food in communities is crucial. To sustain average productions and consumptions, there has to be special attention to the local economy and climate change. To mitigate any risks there will have to be support with initiatives from the authorities. Currently under this period of isolation, to meet the nutritional needs of Indigenous Peoples there has to be an assessment of indigenous nutrition with local products and preparations.
COVID19 in the Amazon
Photo by: Marita Domper
Some organizations such as COICA and AIDESEP have been making requests for humanitarian aid and have also asked the Peruvian government to adopt protection measures to face the spread of COVID19, as well as requesting the intervention of the United Nations and the international community to monitor their particular situation. Also they urge the access and provisions of food to be guaranteed, «protecting the survival economy of the producing communities» and also urge the surveillance and protection of their territories invaded by «oil, miners and loggers».
Currently, an indigenous leader adds to the list of the 1595 infected by COVID19 in Peru as of April 3. Likewise, the first case of infection in the city of Nauta was reported. This latest patient is located in one of the cities of transit and connectivity to the indigenous communities located in the Marañón, Corrientes, Tigre, and other basins. The indigenous Amazon has been declared in emergency due to the COVID19.
Written by: Martín Vásquez – Program Coordinator for Equitable Origin Perú, and Marita Domper – Communications Specialist.