Amerindians, Guyana’s vulnerable ‘rich’

THE INDIGENOUS PEOPLES OF GUYANA ARE CULTURALLY AND LAND RICH yet “live in
deep vulnerability” according to a four-year-old research entitled ‘Situation Analysis on
Amerindian Women and Children’.
The 204-page document said “almost 44 percent of the households in the hinterlands (used as a proxy
of the indigenous households) do not have electricity (compared with the 13 percent at the national
level and 6 percent in urban areas).”
When it comes to jobs, Amerindians cite unemployment and the lack of employment opportunities as
major obstacles in the hinterland. Indigenous men find work principally in the Agriculture, Forestry
and Fishing; and in the Mining and Quarrying sectors, while women are employed in the educational,
food and agriculture sectors.
As a South American Independent Republic, Guyana, according to the UN Committee on the Rights
of the Child, has not fully overcome the practice of discrimination against its indigenous children and
adult population.
The country “does not have an account of how many Indigenous Peoples have disabilities,” the
document laments.
The country’s 2012 census shows 1.8 percent of the national population older than 15 live with a
disability, (2.1 percent for men and 1.6 percent for women). In the hinterlands, “approximately 1.2
percent of the population in that age group have some type of disability.”
“While it was not possible to identify specific discrimination related to people living with disabilities,
it was normal to hear people using terms such as “retarded” or “cripple” to define some of the
children and adults.”
The document says social, economic, administrative and political structures of the country remain
“historical challenges” for the eight indigenous tribes living mainly in Barima/Waini (Region One);
Cuyuni/Mazaruni (Region Seven); Potaro/Siparuni (Region Eight) and Upper Takutu/Upper
Essequibo (Region Nine).
“It is certain that the Indigenous Peoples in Guyana are culturally and land rich. Nonetheless, that is
not enough to guarantee that all their rights are realised, especially the rights of women and children,”
the document counselled.
It deems some current social norms among Amerindians as an obstacle and a bottleneck to achieving
the rights accorded to women and children.

“For example, violence against children and women in the Indigenous Peoples’ villages were deeply
rooted in social norms, i.e., in how women were perceived in the Indigenous Peoples’ community,
and how they perceive themselves,” the government document undertaken while David Granger’s A
Partnership for National Unity, Alliance For Change (APNU+AFC) coalition government was in
office. “In terms of legislations and policies, at the national level, one of the main challenges is the
lack of complementary policies for the Indigenous Peoples and lack of enforcement of the current
ones,” it said.
It also said “at the current stage, it is not possible to have the indigenous boys, girls and their families
catching up with the other ethnicities in the country without proper policies targeting them. One
reason why public policies in different sectors have to target the Indigenous Peoples’ communities is
due to their need to be culturally adapted.”
Guyana has to move away from the ‘one-size-fit-all’ public policy position especially since the
country has “at least six different ethnic groups,” and nine indigenous tribes according to the
document United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) published.
Toshaos, Village Council members and other level of leaders need training and resources to help
boost their efficiency and guarantee implementation of their annual work programmes.
Decentralisation remains a requirement “to bring public policies near to those who need it.”
When one views the issues via the lenses of families, children and women, the report concludes that
financial access to some services remains a “great barrier to the full realisation of their rights.”
Improving the situation of the indigenous population is a strategic and conscious movement towards
creating the conditions for Guyana to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), “sending
to the international community the message that working with the most vulnerable populations is
possible and providing the means for their socioeconomic development results in benefits for the
overall country,” the UNICEF-backed document counsels.
Enhancing the lot of the country’s 76,940 indigenous comprising Akawaio, Arawaks, Arekuna,
Caribs, Macushi, Patamonas, Waiwais, Wapishanas and Warraus is beyond just “a historical
debt that the country has to pay,” according to the document.