Brazil Indian Foundation opposes transfer of power to demarcate lands
Organization deems change a “backward” move
Published on 24/04/2014 - 17:38 By Ivan Richard reports from Agência Brasil - Brasília
President of Brazil’s National Indian Foundation (“FUNAI”) Maria Augusta Assirati said on Thursday (Apr. 24) at the Chamber of Deputies that a bill currently under consideration, which transfers the power to demarcate indigenous lands from the Union to the National Congress, is “unconstitutional and inappropriate,” and that it represents a “step backwards in land demarcation”.
During a debate at the Human Rights Commission at the Chamber, Assirati pointed out that the Brazilian society still lacks the information necessary to understand the indigenous people’s way of life: where they are, where they live, what their demands are. “Information and education on the topic are lacking, and, although the Brazilian Constitution grants the a set of rights to the indigenous people, the discussion on how these legal instruments are applied has served as a weapon against the indigenous peoples themselves,” she clarified.
FUNAI’s president also expressed her discontent about the structure of the organization, which has not conducted a public exam for admission since 1988. “Our personnel is in urgent need of an update. It needs to change.”
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Brazil Indian Foundation opposes transfer of power to demarcate lands
Edition: Denise Griesinger / Augusto Queiroz