Indigenous women from various parts of the national territory meet at the meeting “Opening roads. Towards a response to violence against indigenous women”, which includes two days in which they will share experiences on the violence of which they are victims. Based on dialogue with the public sector and international institutions, the objective is to design more appropriate and effective public policies to deal with violence. Local and international specialists in human and indigenous rights participate.
This activity is carried out within the framework of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Womenwhich is commemorated every November 25. It has the participation of indigenous women from various parts of the country, members of organizations such as the Indigenous Women of Paraguay (MIPY), the Coordinator of Indigenous Women and Rural Peasants (CONAMURI), Kuña Guaraní Aty and the Union of Indigenous Youth of Paraguay (UJIP).
“I come to talk about my experiences and to hear what it is like in other communities. To suggest what can be done to prevent violence. Not all physical violence is reported, many remain in the family. Our request is to go to the competent authorities, but we also ask these authorities to listen to us. Because many times they don’t listen to women, especially when we are indigenous women,” she said. Teresita Sánchez, from the Nivaclé people, belonging to the Uj’e Lhavos community, located in Filadelfia, department of Boquerón.
In this sense, the Minister for Women, Celina Lezcano, He maintained that public policies for indigenous women cannot be built without listening to them properly. “We need to build specific responses to specific problems, responses that must also be articulated and involve the entire society. Violence against women is a topic to be dealt with across all State institutions and society in general, since the damage it produces has an impact on the development of the country,” she remarked.
Bernarda Pesoa, from the Qom people, Santa Rosa community, He stated: “We are 47 kilometers from Asunción and the authorities do not see us, imagine those who are further away. Community leaders say that I am a danger because I train women on issues of violence. In the INDI there are also many obstacles; The leadership recognition process lasts three months, my process lasted a year and a half.”
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For his part, Tania Vera Portillo, emphasized the situation of young indigenous women, who “are very vulnerable due to the lack of opportunities. Many times we are silenced as young people, if I want them to listen to me, I must make myself heard, but at the same time my opinion is underestimated because I am a woman,” said Tania, from the Ava Guaraní people, Fortuna community.
During the opening of the activity, Diana García, Deputy Head of Cooperation of the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Paraguay, said that “generalities are not valid if we want to make public policies for all people. Every person counts.” García also spoke on behalf of the Program “Support for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Paraguay”, coordinated by the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Public Administration and Policies (FIIAPP).
Rocío Galiano Marés, National Representative of the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, indicated that “State institutions have made great progress in the care and response to violence against women, youth and girls in Paraguay. However, we know that there are still multiple challenges so that prevention, comprehensive care, access to justice, and protection are effective and respond to the situations and particularities of women, adolescents, and girls from indigenous peoples. This meeting is held considering the existence of high levels of violence and vulnerability to which indigenous women are exposed and given the need to broaden knowledge on how to address violence in an effective, articulated and culturally relevant manner.
The objective of this meeting is to initiate a process of discussion and collective reflection between indigenous women and State entities, which allows contributing to the design of elements for the institutional approach to violence against indigenous women, with their participation and with an intercultural approach, taking it takes into account experiences of violence lived by indigenous women, as well as their strategies and challenges to address them from the community and institutions.
It entails developing knowledge for the design of care and violence prevention policies towards indigenous women that make it possible to offer better, more appropriate and effective public services and under the premise of “leaving no one behind”.
second day
The second day is scheduled to present and discuss the instruments that Paraguay has to address violence against indigenous women and the support of international regulations, as well as the fundamental elements of a policy to address violence against indigenous women. They will talk about it Line Bareiro, lawyer and specialist in Human Rights, Tina Alvarenga, representative of the Articulation of Indigenous Women of Paraguay (MIPY) and the Maya Kiche leader, Alma López Mejía, recognized for her great contribution to the defense of the rights of indigenous women .
The activity is an initiative of the Ministry for Women, the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, and the European Union Cooperation Program “Support for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda in Paraguay”, coordinated by the International Foundation and for Ibero-America of Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP).
