Better future for indigenous peoples

Migration has helped most countries to prosper. But the fact is that long before the migrants came, most countries did have people – an indigenous population. This is a familiar tale of newcomers virtually taking over a country, pushing aside the indigenous population. They have often been forced to become virtually second class citizens in their own countries, sometimes denied basic rights such as land, housing and even the vote.

There are an estimated 370 million indigenous people in the world, living across 90 countries including Sri Lanka (Adivasis). They make up less than five per cent of the world’s population, but account for 15 per cent of the poorest. They speak an overwhelming majority of the world’s estimated 7,000 languages and represent 5,000 different cultures. There is a real danger of some of these societies and cultures going extinct, forever burying the customs, traditions and languages. In fact, more than half of the world’s languages are already in danger because there are so few native speakers.

In 1994, the United Nations General Assembly decided that the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples shall be observed on 9 August every year. The date marks the day of the first meeting, in 1982, of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights.

Cooperation

In 1990, the UN General Assembly proclaimed 1993 the International Year of the World’s Indigenous Peoples. Later, the General Assembly established two International Decades of the Indigenous Peoples, with the goal of strengthening international cooperation for solving problems faced by indigenous people - World’s Indigenous Peoples: the first 1995 - 2004, and the second 2005-2014 in areas such as human rights, the environment, development, education, health, economic and social development.

Every year the day is celebrated under a different theme. This year’s (2016) International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples is devoted to their Right to Education.

The right of indigenous peoples to education is protected by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, which in Article 14 states that “Indigenous peoples have the right to establish and control their educational systems and institutions providing education in their own languages, in a manner appropriate to their cultural methods of teaching and learning.” The right of indigenous peoples to education is also protected by a number of other international human rights instruments, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Training

Goal 4 of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development calls for ensuring equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations. According to the UN, in spite of these instruments, the right to education has not been fully realised for most indigenous peoples, and a critical education gap exists between indigenous peoples and the general population. Existing data shows consistent and persistent disparities between the indigenous and the non-indigenous population in terms of educational access, retention and achievement, in all regions of the world. And just as it is in the mainstream society in many countries, women and girls in indigenous communities are often left behind when it comes to the available educational opportunities.

The education sector not only mirrors the historical abuses, discrimination and marginalization suffered by indigenous peoples, but also reflects their continued struggle for equality and respect for their rights as peoples and as individuals. However, there is another side to the education angle – indigenous youth who enter a country’s formal education system may assimilate to the mainstream society, leaving the indigenous lifestyle behind. While assimilation is not a bad thing per se, this has the potential to threaten the existence of a given indigenous group in the long term. Therefore, a balance has to be struck to preserve the indigenous way of life – hence the call to fit in their education patterns to their ways of life.

Incidentally, armed conflicts around the world have also affected the educational prospects of indigenous peoples. The most affected are indigenous people caught in crossfires in current and past armed conflicts in Colombia, India, Myanmar, the Philippines, Bangladesh, Guatemala and Peru, according to Victoria Tauli-Corpuz of the Philippines, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People. The grave consequences include forced displacement, extra-judicial executions, sexual violence and forced recruitment of child soldiers from indigenous communities. Sometimes, physical remnants of wars such as landmines affect the indigenous communities long after the conflict ends. These issues were in focus at a recent international seminar on “Indigenous People: Conflict, Peace and Resolution” in which more than 1,000 indigenous people’s representatives participated.

Mistakes

However, Governments around the world are also acknowledging the mistakes they may have made with regard to the marginalization of indigenous communities. For example, the Taiwanese leader recently formally apologoised to the island’s indigenous people for the discrimination they faced for centuries. Several other countries have made similar apologies to their indigenous communities.

This is an acknowledgement that the indigenous people deserve to be respected, not marginalized. Since they have a closer affinity to the environment and ancient ways of life, they may be our best bet against environmental destruction as well. “Indigenous people across the world are the ones keeping the human race from destroying itself and leading earth to a disaster as they gain voices in countries in Latin America, the United States and Australia,” renowned political commentator and academic Noam Chomsky said in a recent interview. Chomsky’s comments come as many Indigenous groups across Latin America are becoming more involved in the continent’s politics while also pushing back against global corporations who for decades have exploited their lands and resources for profit.

This is a good omen for indigenous populations the world over. In Sri Lanka, Uruwarige Wanniyela Aththo, the leader of the Adivasi Community has been an outstanding spokesman for his community which has fought back on many issues from assimilation to hunting rights. The courage to stand up on issues affecting the indigenous communities including education must come from within, but Governments must also heed the call to protect their rights, traditions and cultures.