COVID-19 Daily News Digest – July 23, 2020
National Parks Are Getting Trashed During COVID-19, Endangering Surrounding Communities
“It’s been decimated by people who have never hiked before, coming back there with no morals,” she says. “It’s insane to see people acting the way they have, like the end of the world.”
https://time.com/5869788/national-parks-covid-19/
Covid 19 coronavirus: Mass graves dug as Brazil hits grim new toll
As cases climb, shocking photos have emerged showing the scale of the disaster.
Photos from Sao Paulo show hundreds of freshly dug graves waiting to be filled, grimly illustrating a nation pushed to the brink.
The commission said Brazil must introduce a plan within 15 days to protect the Yanomami and Ye’kwana groups, who live in remote northern regions, “because they are in a situation of great danger
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=12350087
Artists wanted to pay tribute to missing and murdered indigenous women
“We are inviting artists from the Nicola Valley to submit their ideas for a memorial that will serve to honor the lives and legacies of Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls and LGBTQ2S individuals, as well as increase awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls and LBGTQ2S individuals,” said Women’s Wellness Coordinator, Brenda Thomson.
Murals ‘help build community’ says Indigenous Chilliwack artist
“In a good way, in a healthy way our people are still here,” she recalls her grandmother saying. “We still remember who we are. We’re still thriving and we’re finding new ways [to remember] the stories that have always been here.”
“We’ll start these conversations about what they see and what they experience and we share those experiences and those values together. It helps build community,” Victor said. “That’s the best I can hope for is that we build community together.”
UN urges protection of domestic workers’ rights during COVID-19 pandemic
Given this precarious situation, along with the lack of access to social protection systems and emergency health provisions, Ms. Aparicio is advocating for measures that allow these workers to stay at home and in good health “without becoming further impoverished”The crisis has exacerbated existing vulnerabilities and inequalities,” says Vinícius Pinheiro, ILO Director for Latin America and the Caribbean. “In addition to the specter of unemployment, informality, low social protection coverage and the lack of written contracts – in many cases – prevent them from accessing the aid established by Governments
https://www.un.org/en/un-urges-protection-domestic-workers%E2%80%99-rights-during-covid-19-pandemic
RCMP monitoring tensions between members of Haida Nation, fishing lodge
“The RCMP respects the rights of individuals to peacefully protest and we are committed to facilitating a dialogue,” Saunderson said in a statement. “We are impartial in this dispute and our hope is that this can be resolved peacefully. The primary concerns of the police are public safety, police officer safety, and the preservation of the rights of demonstrators to their freedoms of expression, association and mobility.”
The First Nation has made a concerted effort to prevent the virus from taking hold on the islands, limiting non-essential travel and restricting visits from non-residents who aren’t essential workers.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry and B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix have noted the Haida Nation is well within its right to do so.
Sto:lo grand chief sues First Nations Health Authority for $388,125
Tribal Council Grand Chief Doug Kelly is suing the B.C. First Nations Health Authority he once chaired for $388,125, alleging a breach of contract.
The situation arose from an alleged conflict of interest issue where the authority CEO had recommended hiring an ex-spouse but has grown to involve allegations of bullying and abuse by Kelly himself.
Averting ethnocide: Indigenous peoples and territorial rights in crisis in the face of COVID-19 in Latin America
As the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) warns, displaced and refugee populations are extremely vulnerable. This is the case of numerous bi-national indigenous groups, such as the Wayúu or the Bari living in Colombia along the border with Venezuela, or the 5,000 Warao indigenous persons displaced from Venezuela to the epicentre of the pandemic in Brazil.12 In addition to not receiving medical assistance due to lack of documentation, these populations are under continuous threat from the illegal armed groups that control the border areas. Added to this are deportations, border closings and measures that restrict their freedom of movement.13
Panel: How indigenous communities are combating misinformation by creating fact-checked resources in their native languages
Fortunately, there are now some efforts to address this situation by creating fact-checked bulletins and announcements in several indigenous languages throughout Latin America. This coincides with a recognition that more and more indigenous communities are accessing social media platforms and messaging apps where they are likely to come across mis and disinformation, especially in urban and peri-urban settings.