Indigenous women experience a broad, multifaceted and complex spectrum of mutually reinforcing human rights abuses. This is influenced by multiple and intersecting forms of vulnerability, including patriarchal power structures; multiple forms of discrimination and marginalisation, based on gender, class, ethnic origin and socioeconomic circumstances; and historical and current violations of the right to self-determination and control of resources.

Summary

This report is a study on the situation of indigenous women globally. It focuses on the common themes and patterns experienced by indigenous women across all regions.

The Special Rapporteur will highlight examples of specific rights violations and issues from different countries, which are illustrative but not exhaustive. In analysing the situation of indigenous women, she considers both the gendered forms of violations against indigenous women and the gendered effects of human rights abuses that target indigenous communities as a whole.

In that way, the Special Rapporteur hopes that the forms of oppression, discrimination and violence that indigenous women face —because they are women and because they are indigenous — can be better understood.