Olnar Ortiz, coordinator of the Amazonas Chapter Penal Forum, assured that indigenous peoples are forgotten, “abandoned” by the rulers. In this “oblivion” irregular armed groups operate, present in various areas of La Guajira
The lawyer and defender of the human rights of indigenous peoples, Olnar Ortizassured that the Wayúu and Añú indigenous communities of the Venezuelan Guajira, in the state of Zulia, are worse off “than what is shown in reports”, due to the lack of public services and the lack of aid programs.
“Water purification, malnutrition and pregnant girls are sensitive issues that are seen in many indigenous communities,” the lawyer said in an interview with Radio Fe y Alegría News.
Ortiz said that the most impressive thing about his visit was observing a large number of children and adolescents with malnutrition, in addition to early pregnancy that affects these communities. “There are many girls from the age of eight or 10 who are pregnant and malnourished children,” she said.
Access to food is not the only problem that the communities face, since the potable water service is almost non-existent. In some areas of La Guajira the water is described as quite brown in color.
In order to guarantee the supply of clean water, families have to buy it by cisterns, which represent a very high expense compared to the low income that indigenous people receive for activities related to agriculture.
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In some families, even all its members are unemployed, Ortiz pointed out. “How can you survive in this situation? Not only is this scenario discouraging, but it is even more complicated to spend hours and days without electricity.”
The coordinator of the Foro Penal, Amazon chapter, also assured that the indigenous peoples are forgotten, “abandoned”, by the rulers. In this “oblivion” irregular armed groups operate, present in various areas of La Guajira.
“The context and the territory are different but the reality is almost the same. The issue of the presence of irregular armed groups is the same as in Amazonas (…) They only talk about the Arco Minero, but the reality of our indigenous people and illegal mining goes further,” he said.
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