Violence against Indigenous women is a pervasive and multifaceted issue that includes physical, sexual, emotional, and economic abuse, often rooted in the historical and ongoing impacts of colonization, racism, and systemic inequality. Indigenous women face disproportionately high rates of violence, including intimate partner violence, human trafficking, and murder, frequently exacerbated by the lack of access to justice and inadequate responses from law enforcement.
To combat violence against women and girls, governments and international organizations must strengthen the protection systems for Indigenous girls, promote culturally sensitive education, and support initiatives that empower Indigenous communities to prevent violence and ensure justice for affected girls.
Alice Tipap from the Maasai Community spoke to us about violence against women amongst Indigenous Maasai people.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoi/San)
Interviewee: Alice Nina Tipap (Maasai)
Music: 'Whispers', by Ziibiwan, used with permission.
During our recent visit to Kenya, Cultural Survival stopped in Kajiado County to speak to
Noah Solonka Tompo(Maasai) from Transforming Pastoralist Women Initiative in Kajiado County, Kenya Maasai.
This organization also provides counseling services to Indigenous Youth who are addicted to drugs.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Interviewee:Noah Solonka Tompo(Maasai)
"Anania2" by The Baba Project, used with permission.
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission
Indigenous Women all around the world are subjected to marginalization and inequality.
As we commemorate International Women's Day, we celebrate the work of Lukretia Booysen (Griekwa, Nama), an Indigenous change maker who is the curator of The Koena Art Institute. Booysen tells us about the Institute's collaboration with the Iziko Art Museum.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Interviewee: Lukretia Booysen (Griekwa, Nama)
"Anania by the Baba Project, Used with Permission
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission
Women are still being discriminated against, and not there are not enough leadership roles in the workplace, and sadly also in the communities where Indigenous women reside. In this radio program, we will focus on the rights of women and Indigenous women in particular.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan)
Additional voice: Morisca Christians
"Whispers" by Ziibiwan, Used with Permission
"Burn your village to the ground", by The Halluci Nation, used with permission
Each year, on August 9th, the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples is observed to raise awareness and protect Indigenous Rights.
This year the theme of the commemoration is The role of Indigenous women in the preservation and transmission of Traditional Knowledge.
Leya Hale lives in St. Paul. She was born and raised in the Los Angeles area. She is Sisseton Wahpeton Dakota and Navajo. She is a storyteller, a documentary filmmaker, and a producer with Twin Cities PBS (TPT), where she’s been working for the past eight years. Her film, "Bring Her Home," addresses the epidemic of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women in the United States.
This episode takes us back to 2013, and we explore the history of the First Global Conference of Indigenous Women, and why there was a need for a conference such as this. We go into the archives and hear voices from this First Conference and we also get a chance to hear from the president of FIMI, Tarcila Rivera Zea.
This is the first episode of a series of five podcasts that aims to inform you all about the second World Conference of Indigenous Women, produced by Cultural Survival's Indigenous Rights Radio, and brought to you by FIMI.
Thought leaders and environmental activists from all over the world have come together at the 26th UNFCCC Conference of Parties, in Glasgow, Scotland, in an effort to unite in the battle against climate change, and to share ideas of how Western science and Indigenous Knowledge can come together for the common good of mankind. Indigenous Peoples from Ecuadorian Amazon, Chad, Alaska, Sweden, Indonesia and Australia, Russia, the USA, and many other places are making sure that Indigenous voices are heard at COP26.
Human trafficking is one of the most difficult issues to address in Nepal, affecting and exploiting thousands of women, adolescent girls, and children. Indigenous women and girls are disproportionately affected by human trafficking and represent almost 70 percent of the cases. Indigenous women and girls make up the majority of the people trafficked and exploited. Following the 2015 earthquake in Nepal, economic opportunities have been severely impacted and the numbers of missing women and girls including children have risen sharply.
Women of the world want and deserve an equal future free from stigma, stereotypes and violence; a future that’s sustainable, peaceful, with equal rights and opportunities for all. To get us there, women need to be at every table where decisions are made. In this podcast, we speak to Jannie Staffansson (Saami), a renowned Indigenous climate change expert and aCultural Survival board member. Staffansson tells us about balancing traditional lifeways today.
Produced by Shaldon Ferris
Interviewee: Jannie Staffansson (Saami)
Indigenous women represent one of the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in the world. For centuries, Indigenous Women have been subjected to relentless discrimination and different types of violence based on gender, indigeneity, and class. They are deprived from even basic human rights such as access to health services, education and employment. This Indigenous Rights Radio program depicts Indigenous Women and access to quality health services.
Producer : Dev Kumar Sunuwar and Bia'ni Madsa' Juárez López
In March we commemorate two very important international days, Zero Discrimination Day on March 1st, as well International Women's day on March 8th.
How are Indigenous Peoples discriminated against, and furthermore, how are Indigenous Women discriminated against?
In this program we pay homage to Xoroxloo Duxee, an Indigenous Woman from Botswana who died from starvation and dehydration because access to a water well in the desert had been restricted.
Producer: Shaldon Ferris (KhoiSan, South Africa)
Interviewee: //Uruseb, researcher on Indigenous Peoples.
Bartolina Sisa was killed in Bolivia in 1782. International Indigenous Women's Day is held each year on 5th September. Although women fight for their rights and the rights of their people, not enough recognition is given to the efforts of women.
Indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable to the crime of human trafficking due to the systematic denial of health and wellness resources to which they are subjected. In this program, we focus on the Navajo Nation's response to increased rates of trafficking linked to mining/oil development, and the legal response the Navajo government has implemented to alleviate the harm caused by trafficking, which disproportionately affects Indigenous women and girls.
Peter Buffett is a Co-President of the NoVo Foundation, which works to foster a transformation from a world of domination and exploitation to one of collaboration and partnership. As part of this work, NoVo supports work in Indigenous communities across North America, including community-led programs that center Indigenous girls and women. Suzanne Benally (Navajo and Santa Clara Tewa) is a leader in U.S. Indigenous rights advocacy, and serves as the Executive Director of Cultural Survival.
November 25th is International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. Indigenous women face disproportionate rates of violence and discrimination due to their intersecting identities (woman and Indigenous) which have both been historically marginalized in society. Nepali activists explain their work to end violence against women in their country, and lay out next steps for continuing the work of women's liberation around the world.
INTERVIEWEES
Yasso Kanti Bhattachan, Indigenous Women’s Federation of Nepal
Chanda Thapa Magar, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact
Can traditional knowledge from Indigenous communities provide us with answers to fighting climate change? We speak with Andrea Carmen (Yaqui), Executive Director of International Indian Treaty Council. She speaks about how Indigenous women are very strong voices in the work for the protection of the environment, through their role as food producers, knowledge holders, and the first teachers of children.
In Mbororo communities in Chad, Indigenous women are the most affected by climate change because they are the ones collecting food, water, and traditional medicines for their families. Changes to their environment have cause increased hardship on the Mbororo who are pastoralist cattle headers, as they are forced to move more frequently to cope with increasing drought conditions.
What is the role of Indigenous Peoples in the current climate crisis? What responsibility do Indigenous Peoples feel towards Mother Earth today? Listen to three Indigenous women leaders give their perspectives on their feeling of the interconnection between all living things and our planet in the face of climate change, and what they feel should be done with that knowledge.
March 8th is International Women's Day-- a time to celebrate the many accomplishments of women, as well as to discuss strategies to further their empowerment and to achieve gender equality. Shaldon Ferris (Khoisan) interviews Avexnim Cojti (Maya K’iche’) about the role of women in her community, and what needs to change in order for Indigenous women to finally occupy an equal position in society.
November 25th is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Cultural Survival remembers Sarah Baartman, a Khoikhoi woman who, under Dutch colonization of her homeland, was taken captive and coerced to participate in public shows and medical examinations which relied on a falsified science of racial difference. We honor her life as a testament to the urgent necessity of having an international day when the world renews its commitment to end violence against women, especially Indigenous women and women of color.
Vicky Tauli-Corpuz (Igorot Kankanaey, Philippines), a long-time activist and UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, shares her experience with successes of small, local groups reaching out to the international community to collaborate in better defending their rights. She explains how her experience as a nurse led to community engagement, which quickly turned into a passion for advocating for the needs of community members as an activist.
This program is dedicated to Joan Carling, an activist from the Kankanaey people of the Philippines. She has served as an Expert Member on the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues during 2014 and 2016, and as the Secretary General of the Asia Indigenous Pact. In this interview, she explains the benefits of the participation of Indigenous Peoples in local and global decision-making, which would bring a diversity of perspective and solutions to pressing issues.
Dr. Dawn Lavell-Harvard (Anishinaabe, Canada) explains how the concerns that have been labeled as “women’s issues” are in fact central to the progress of Indigenous rights. Often, concerns such as domestic abuse, schooling, and healthcare are often sidelined in favor of focusing on issues that are seen as more universal. Dr. Lavell-Harvard places them at the center of her activism efforts, showing that there is no need to compromise or postpone the rights of Indigenous women in Indigenous movements globally.
Dr. Dalee Sambo Dorough (Innuit, Alaska, USA) discusses her early engagement in the politics of Indigenous Peoples land rights, and shares her insight into why the defense of land merits extra international legal attention. She urges leaders to have optimism, and take “the long view” approach to making progress in the protection of Indigenous rights.
Nancy Bordeaux (Sicangu Lakota) from South Dakota shares her work in domestic violence and sexual assault and gives advice on how to make a change. She speaks about historical trauma and its effects on Native American peoples today. Nancy works with women who are victims of domestic violence and human trafficking and hopes to lessen the economic and mental health disparities in Indigenous women. We caught up with Nancy at the UNPFII 2015.
Mililani Trask talks about the importance of cross-cultural support between Indigenous groups and how Indigenous women have been key to bringing this about.
Jinumu, an Indigenous woman from Taiwan, uses the World Conference of Indigenous Women as an opportunity to learn more about the rights of women since indigenous rights and women’s rights are not topics that are often discussed in her home country.
From the Saami community in Norway, Gudrun E E Lindi believes that by collaborating with women from other indigenous communities, she can make a global impact and create positive change.
When Indigenous women like Raffaella Bulyaar of the Maasai people are able to attend global conferences, they are able to bring useful information back to their people in order to further discuss and learn ways to grow as a community and defend their human rights.
Andrea Landry, Anishinabek from the traditional territory of the Ashinaabe people, voices the importance of straying away from relying on the federal government to save indigenous communities and instead suggests working as a community toward changes within that community for more productive results. Landry believes confronting and talking about important issues as a community can lead to positive change.