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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Doug Green
Christian Science Monitor publishes LCHR editorial on indigenous groups’ trampled rights
Leadership Council President Kathryn Cameron Porter addresses the global oppression of indigenous peoples in a Christian Science Monitor editorial, “How to stop today’s trail of tears,” published today. Throughout the world, these marginalized groups face a common set of threats: restrictions on religious freedom, forced assimilation, loss of ancestral land, environmental degradation, poverty and exclusion from needed basic services.
LCHR encourages U.S. decision makers to prioritize human rights issues faced by ethnic minorities, and applauds the continuing efforts of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus (CHRC) to spotlight specific abuses against indigenous populations. The CHRC has been instrumental in promoting the rights of oppressed peoples, and we believe that additional hearings on the status of indigenous groups worldwide will be similarly fruitful. LCHR also encourages the U.S. State Department to place greater emphasis on indigenous and minority issues in its annual human rights country reports. Every government should be held accountable for its policies toward ethnic minorities. A critical subsection of these country reports, “National/Racial/Ethnic Minorities” is absent, for example, from the most recent analysis of Egypt’s human rights situation. If we are to effectively address the oppression of minorities, we must make certain that their plight is given the same visibility as that of other vulnerable groups.
LCHR urges the international human rights community to take a stronger stance on indigenous issues. Throughout the world, rich and deeply-rooted cultures are in jeopardy, with governments using “national identity” as an excuse to trample the unique cultural heritage of minority groups. Sustained pressure from leading international actors is direly needed to ensure the survival and protection of indigenous peoples.
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