The human rights protection regime for afro-descendants the case of latin America ang the Caribbean
"Some states have been proactive in ratifying laws that protect ethnic minorities in Latin America and the Caribbean, but Afro-descendants do not benefit much from these laws. Self-identification as an 'ethnic minority' for Afro-descendants has been problematic. Some Afro-descendants defend the term Afro-descendant peoples whereas others agree with the use of ethnic minority as the ideal concept to identify them as a group or population. In any case, most Afro-descendants support an effective human rights protection regime as a key tool to help overcome their historical problems. This article studies in depth the crucial importance for Afro-descendants of enhancing this ""still-weak"" regime. The text represents one of the few works of its kind that explores in detail the limitations of the Afro-descendants' human rights struggle in the region"
Discriminación étnico-racial y xenofobia en América Latina y el Caribe
Resumen En America Latina y el Caribe hay entre 33 y 40 millones de indigenas divididos en unos 400 grupos etnicos, cada uno de los cuales tiene su idioma, su organizacion social, su cosmovision, su sistema economico y modelo de produccion adaptado a su ecosistema. Cinco paises agrupan casi el 90% de la poblacion indigena regional: Peru (27%);, Mexico (26%);, Guatemala (15%);, Bolivia (12%); y Ecuador (8%);. La poblacion negra y mestiza afrolatina y afrocaribena en la region alcanza unas 150 millones de personas, lo que significa alrededor de un 30% de la poblacion total de la region. Con relacion a su ubicacion geografica, se ubican especialmente en Brasil (50%);, Colombia (20%); y Venezuela (10%);. Tras siglos de exclusion y dominacion, a principios del nuevo milenio los pueblos indigenas, afrolatinos y afrocaribenos presentan los peores indicadores economicos y sociales y tienen escaso reconocimiento cultural y acceso a instancias decisorias. Ademas, la discriminacion etnica y racial tambien esta en la base de los sentimientos xenofobicos en los paises de la region. Tal discriminacion se transfiere al otro-extranjero, sobre todo si no es blanco y migra desde paises caracterizados por una mayor densidad de poblacion indigena, afrolatina o afrocaribena. La xenofobia se exacerba si aumenta la masa de desplazados entre fronteras, sea por razones economicas o expulsados por conflictos belicos; y sobre todo si las migraciones internacionales presionan sobre mercados laborales ya restringidos en los paises receptores
La equidad en materia de salud vista con enfoque étnico
In this day and age, public policies that aim to improve equity cannot limit themselves to seeking greater access for all to the job market; the lack of equity is also reflected in unequal access to health services, to education, and to political representation. In order to understand and attempt to correct this unequal access, an approach is needed that takes into account all the sociodemographic factors that shape inequality in the Region of the Americas, most notably sex, ethnic origin, and race. This paper is the product of a request by the Member States of the Pan American Health Organization for PAHO to make known the influence that race, ethnic origin, and sex have on the state of health and on access to health care services. The paper examines how racial discrimination and other forms of intolerance, the low socioeconomic and educational level of certain ethnic and racial groups, and cultural beliefs exert a decisive influence on individuals' search for health care and their possibilities of enjoying good health. This subject is particularly important this year, when the United Nations is holding its World Conference against Racism, Racial Discrimination, Xenophobia and Related Intolerance.