In the first global study of its kind, researchers concluded that physical attacks and threats against land defenders need to be paid more attention as they often portend death.
Last year, human rights and environmental watchdogs determined that 177 land defenders would have been killed in 2022. Land advocates are people who seek to protect communities and environmental resources from destructive development projects, from pipelines to mines to farms to wind energy projects.
But this month, the Alliance of Land, Indigenous and Environmental Defenders (ALLIED) 916 non-fatal incidents in 46 countries in 2022 — or about five people per death. Non-lethal incidents range from written and verbal threats to kidnapping, detention, and physical assault. Possible perpetrators identified by ALLIED include paramilitary groups, police, local government officials, private security personnel, and businesses.
“Although police are commonly named as perpetrators of violence, we often see state actors acting on behalf of or at the behest of other parties, including private companies.” said Eva Harshaw, co-chair of ALLIED as part of its work with the Alliance. At the International Land Coalition, we lead global data and land monitoring.
ALLIED drew its conclusions from news outlets, social media posts, witness interviews, court filings and police reports. The group’s researchers consulted datasets from 12 organizations and interacted with affected communities in these countries to ensure accuracy. Approximately one-third of the organizations that ALLIED worked with used locally-based data collectors who verified acts of violence with local governments. For many of these data collectors, this is the first time their data will be used in a global study, Harshaw said.
Of the 916 non-fatal incidents, nearly a quarter of the victims were indigenous, even though indigenous people make up only 6 percent of the world’s population. When it comes to assault and intimidation, which often results in death, “Indigenous peoples have been disproportionately targeted by such violence,” Harshaw said.
Violent attacks and threats against indigenous land defenders are often underreported because victims fear retaliation. Attacks also often occur in rural areas, away from media attention. The report detailed repeated violence and harassment against individuals as well as entire communities.
The most violent locations for indigenous land defenders are Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico, which together account for 75 percent of all attacks and threats. Among the 46 countries included in the report, land defenders who spoke out against industrial agriculture and mining were most at risk.
Nearly 200 people were killed last year to protect the environment.
Philippe Le Billon, a professor at the University of British Columbia who focuses on natural resources and armed conflict, says this data is important to prevent further violence and can be used to increase transparency that doesn’t exist in many places. said it should. “We need to use this data to develop early warning mechanisms,” he told Grist. He said companies must be responsible to the communities in which they operate and have procedures in place to deal with conflicts if they arise.
Risk factors for violent incidents included ambiguous and unclear land rights in certain countries; Risks can also increase if private companies or infrastructure development already exists in the community. Approximately 40% of violent incidents occurred while victims were actively protesting development projects that threatened their lands and communities.
Another risk factor is what the report calls weak rule of law. “Weak rule of law indicates that laws are not being properly or evenly enforced,” Harshaw said, noting that laws meant to protect Indigenous land defenders do not reduce threats. It means there wasn’t.
Verbal and written threats were the number one form of violence listed in the report, accounting for 33 percent of all non-fatal incidents. Arbitrary detention (detaining someone without evidence or following legal due process) accounted for 10 percent of cases.
According to the report, approximately 30% of non-fatal incidents in 2022 targeted entire Indigenous communities rather than individuals. For example, the Tumandok people, an indigenous group living in the mountains of the Philippines, have a long history of conflict with various development projects.
Six tribal members were killed in 2018, and continued violence and killings followed, culminating in the forced removal of the Tumanduk tribe to make way for the construction of a hydroelectric dam. The Philippine government is also pursuing projects in the mining sector, and other tribal communities in the country have accused the government of ignoring indigenous rights.
As mining operations increase around the world for energy transition purposes, indigenous peoples are at risk of potential violence. The report recommends that governments better document attacks and create stronger legal protections for vulnerable communities. ALLIED also says companies must be held accountable for violence and intimidation that promote business interests.
Harshaw gave an example of what accountability could look like. Hudbay Minerals settles three lawsuits It was submitted 10 years ago by Guatemala’s Mayan indigenous group Q’eqchi. Q’eqchi’ claimed that a Canadian-owned company was responsible for the sexual assault of more than a dozen women and the murder of a community leader during a land rights dispute. The Quekchi people Compensated for an undisclosed amount.
Le Billon said seeking compensation for the loss of loved ones and land is incredibly difficult for tribal communities. “It’s difficult to put together a case in court,” he says. “You need a lawyer. It costs money.” Le Billon said information and documents like the data revealed by ALLIED are difficult to obtain and take a lot of time to collect, making it difficult to seek justice. He said this poses a new barrier for land protectors. “These things can literally last for decades.”
At the United Nations climate change conference COP30, scheduled to be held in Brazil next year, ALLIED will present data on non-lethal attacks in 2023 and 2024.
