What is the biggest problem facing tribal peoples?
The loss of their land. Although their land ownership rights are recognized in international law, they are not properly respected anywhere in the world. Often their lands are invaded, by settlers, by businesses such as oil, mining or logging companies, by cattle ranchers, by private or government ‘development’ schemes such as road-building and dams, or for nature reserves and game parks. Disease usually follows such invasions. The loss of their land also makes tribal peoples less able to feed themselves and so to live a healthy life. In extreme cases, tribal people are killed or imprisoned to get them off their land. Behind such invasions and attacks lie greed and a racism which sees tribal peoples as ‘backward’ or ‘primitive’.
