Indigenous rights in Brazil: Hotline saw 2,846 violations in Jan–Mar

The hotline of Brazil’s Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, Disque 100, registered 2,846 human rights violations against native people of a range of ethnic groups, a survey conducted from January to March this year shows.

Most calls denounce the lack of medical care, the need for better schools, lack of transportation, and violence against indigenous leaders in connection with land disputes, Bruno Renato Teixeira, the ministry’s ombudsman, listed.

The movement in Brasília

This week, ministry officials heard the complaints of indigenous representatives in the Acampamento Terra Livre (“Free Land Encampment”), a yearly gathering held in Brasília, which ended today (Apr. 28).

In the hearings, Teixeira remarked, movement members requested protection for leaders seeking the recognition of territories. “Some leaders feel threatened. We have to join efforts with state authorities to strengthen the protection offered by the ministry,” he argued.

Last week, negotiations were initiated on sending an inter-ministerial commission to Mato Grosso do Sul state to tackle an escalation of violence targeting Guarani Kaiowá leaders. Recently, a group of indigenous people was arrested after protesting against the allocation of lands in the city of Dourados for the construction of a luxury condominium. They argue the area is an indigenous territory.

Teixeira said these reports aim to identify which policies should be implemented in the region and to provide the basis for the creation of a permanent conflict mediation committee.

“We need more room to implement the necessary public policies. The faster land demarcation takes place, the faster we’ll find peace,” he declared.