Brazil Report: Up to 900 Indigenous People Killed in 13 Years

According to a report issued by the Missionary Indigenous Council Thursday in Brasilia, almost 900 Indigenous people in Brazil were killed between 2003 and 2015, corresponding to an average of 68 per year.

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The report, titled, “Violence against Indigenous peoples in Brazil—2015,” included a broad range of types of violence: in 2015, it recorded 31 homicide attempts, 18 homicides, 12 death threats, 13 cases of racism and ethnic-cultural discrimination, nine cases of sexual violence and eight of power abuses.

Indigenous communities are not only affected by violence but also by the lack of public services, with the death of 599 children under 5 years old caused by benign diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea and gastritis in most cases.

The number of suicides rose to 87, half of which were located in Mato Grosso do Sul, which also recorded the highest rate of murders at 36.

“Our children are dying because of the lack of medical assistance and we continue to suffer from serious abuses, including attacks of toxic agrochemicals within Indigenous lands,” said Elson Gomes Kaiowa, leader of the Guarani Kaiowa community in the town of Caarapo. “The use of these products is contaminating the water we use to feed ourselves, among others.”

Agribusiness, he added, also generated conflicts and violence, “Soy, corn and sugarcane are marred with the blood of the Indigenous people.”