Discrimation against indigenous people is a prevalent problem in the society today. Natives comprise 15% of the world’s population. They live in more than seventy countries worldwide. Despite being approximately 370 million people, they are the poorest in the world. They face discrimination, and their human rights are in most cases violated. They are denied social services and opportunities because of the stereotypes that people have about them. Indigenous people are considered savage, primitive, and uncivilized (United Nations Human Rights). As a result, they are discriminated against by society and denied control over essential development founded on their values, requirements, and priorities. They are discriminated even in educational settings and employment, among other areas. Despite development of the UN declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples, the discriminatory actions and language used by the society and governments on them still exist and they are denied their human rights.
The indigenous groups are under-represented in the political sphere and do not have access to most services available to other cultural groups in the society. They are marginalized in projects related to lands, and as a result, they are in most cases forcefully displaced so that governments can exploit their natural resources. The issue of discriminating indigenous peoples was first mentioned by the UN when it first sought to address discrimination based on race between 1973 and 1982 (United Nations Human Rights). Many years afterward, the problem still exists and continues to worsen. Based on discrimination, some of the rights and freedoms they are refused by the society and its various institutions include:
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Acknowledgment by governments of their physical as well as cultural existence
Right to own their collective traditional lands and resources
Right to comprehend their history as indigenous peoples
The right to take part in policies recommendations and projects related to health and education, among others
Mechanisms to effectively oppose laws, policies, initiatives, and programs that have an adverse impact on their lives, economies, and the environments in which they live in (United Nations Human Rights).
Acknowledgement of their legal and religious systems and the contribution they make to the society.
Adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) is the most effective solution to the discrimination that indigenous people face in the United States and around the world. The UNDRIP is a non-abiding document that was adopted by the UN in 2007 (Gomez Isa, 2020). It acknowledges the urgency in respecting and promoting the inherent rights/liberties of indigenous groups. The framework enshrines rights constituting the minimum standards needed to survive, provide dignity, and ensure the general wellbeing of all indigenous individuals globally (Gomez Isa, 2020). Moreover, the declaration offers a framework for nations with different histories and situations to help reduce the rates of discrimination and vulnerability experienced by most indigenous peoples. Also, it incorporates international laws related to human rights and provides an explanation of how they are relevant to indigenous populations. Some of the rights in the declaration include those related to culture, source of income such as employment, access to education, and health.
Adopting the declaration would take the the world to another essential step in re-establishing a good relationship between the indigenous peoples and other groups in the society. Besides, when other countries across the world adopt the declaration, the discrimination against indigenous people would be reduced or ceased completely. This would contribute to a better future where indigenous people are not discriminated and stereotyped. They would be treated equally with non-indigenous groups. Although the declaration is not abiding, it is the only way to end the discrimination that indigenous people experience in their daily lives. Equality will only be achieved when colonial legacies of discriminating and marginalizing indigenous individuals are eradicated, and their rights, such as those related to collective land ownership and resources, are ensured by people in the society.
References
Gómez Isa, F. (2020). The UNDRIP: An increasingly robust legal parameter. The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples , 7-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/13642987.2019.1568994
United Nations Human Rights. (n.d.). OHCHR: Combating discrimination against Indigenous Peoples. https://www.ohchr.org/en/issues/Discrimination/Pages/discrimination_indigenous.aspx
