Uncontacted tribes’ situation to be investigated
October 31, 2008
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Latin America’s top human rights body has announced it will visit Peru to ‘investigate the situation of uncontacted tribes’ in the country, according to reports.
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) made the announcement at a recent hearing in Washington. Rights group working in defence of the uncontacted tribes have called it a ‘significant step.’
The Commission also announced it would monitor the rewriting of Peru’s law on uncontacted tribes, which was passed in 2006 but permits oil and gas exploration to take place on the Indians’ land.
Several different rights groups in Peru have asked the Commission to push for the protection of the uncontacted tribes in their country. These include Peru’s national Amazon Indian organisation, AIDESEP, regional Indigenous organisation FENAMAD, and an organisation called the Instituto del Bien Común.
In total, there an estimated 15 uncontacted tribes in Peru and all of them face huge threats from loggers and oil and gas workers.
