Threats to Indigenous Communities During the COVID-19 Pandemic

"After a long history of decimation, we Indigenous people resisted and our population increased. Currently, we are at risk again of being killed by a disease brought by non-Indigenous people," says a letter from Univaja (Union of Indigenous Peoples of the Javari Valley) about the COVID-19 pandemic.

Similar warnings have also come from many other Indigenous leaders, as well as activists, experts and politicians — all concerned with the pandemic hitting the Indigenous villages. Even so, little was done by the Brazilian government to prevent these deaths. Daily reports of victims among Indigenous people confirm the tragedy.

But what is behind this chaos, which has been considered a genocide of Native people? What are the main threats they are facing during the pandemic? This project will explore the political and economic reasons behind it.