Newsletter n. 786

 

– Tupinikim and Guarani peoples discuss conditions for evacuating indigenous land with the Aracruz Celulose company

– Conanda draws up specific policies for indigenous children and young people

 

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Tupinikim and Guarani peoples discuss conditions for leaving indigenous land with the Aracruz Celulose company

 

Yesterday, October 3, Tupinikim and Guarani leaders and representatives from the Aracruz Cellulose company held a meeting to review proposals for an agreement to evacuate and reoccupy the Tupinikim and Comboios indigenous lands in the state of Espírito Santo, which were under the possession of the company.

 

Representatives from the National Foundation for Indigenous People (Funai), from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and from the Ministry of Justice also attended the meeting, which was held in Brasilia at the headquarters of the Office of the Attorney-General of the Republic.

 

At the first meeting, held on September 18, some of the propositions discussed with the communities were defined. In the meeting held yesterday, which was convened to discuss the outcomes of these discussions, Funai pledged to carry out ethno-environmental studies in the area to identify needs and priorities to ensure the self-sustainment of the indigenous communities.

 

The Aracruz company will finance these studies based on a survey submitted by Funai and will also bear the costs of part of the projects proposed for reestablishing the indigenous peoples in their territories. The company reaffirmed its commitment to remove timber from the indigenous lands within a deadline of one year from the date of signature of the agreement at the latest.

 

These and other proposals will be presented to indigenous communities in an assembly to be held on October 16, which will be attended by a representative from the Federal Prosecutor’s Office and by the president of Funai, Márcio Meira. If they are approved, the agreement should be signed on October 22. “We will see how the communities react, because they already said they need more time to evaluate the proposals. We are not just dealing with an agreement, but with the future of our people. We must have some guarantee that the topics covered by the agreement will be actually complied with,” stressed indigenous leader Wilson Tupinikim.

 

The Tupinikim and Guarani areas cover 18,027 hectares and were declared as traditional indigenous lands through administrative rulings published on August 28 by the Ministry of Justice.

 

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Conanda draws up specific policies for indigenous children and adolescents

 

The National Council for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (Conanda) is developing guidelines for an assistance policy specifically designed for indigenous people. To better understand the reality of indigenous people, the Council held a public hearing on October 3, in which acts of violence suffered by indigenous young people was denounced.

 

 

This meeting was held in the city of Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, where many children, particularly from the Guarani people, are living under precarious conditions. The confinement of indigenous people in small lands, the increase incidence of drug and alcohol abuse and dependence on basic food baskets increased the internal violence and, as a result, acts of violence against children increased, as well as hunger and malnutrition among thewm. Child labor in sugarcane processing plants and traffic in indigenous children are also a reality in the region.

 

The situation faced by indigenous people in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul is weakening social and family bounds and, as a result, indigenous people, especially young people, are becoming apathetic and discouraged due to the lack of land, work and future perspective. This worrying situation was during the Hearing.

 

Given the seriousness of the situation, Conanda is expected to define its commitment to fight for the  rights of indigenous children by means of different measures, such as: training and sensitizing guardianship councillors to this issue; stimulating the participation of indigenous people in local Guardianship Councils and in Conanda; drawing the attention of federal departments and public agencies in charge of dealing with this issue to the problem; and other measures.

 

The benchmark for Condanda’s actions will be the UN Declaration on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights. The Council also intends to act respecting the specific features of each people.

 

The hearing was attended by the 29 national council members of the Council, by representatives from various federal departments and from UNICEF, by indigenous leaders and by representatives from civil society organizations. Indigenous people expressed a certain disbelief due to the many previous meetings and documents that did not result in actual actions. Notwithsdanting, they expect important results in favor of the life and future of indigenous people and children living in the state.

 

 

Brasília, October 4, 2007

www.cimi.org.br

Indianist Missionary Council