Outrage as Paralympics Organizers Accuse Tribal People of 'Harmful Traditional Practices' Survival International
go to original September 7, 2016

Suruwaha father and child, Brazil. Evangelical missionaries have falsely accused the tribe of infanticide on several occasions. (Adriana Huber/Survival)

In an official press release, the organizers of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games have accused Brazilian tribal peoples of infanticide, sexual abuse, rape, slavery, torture and other “harmful traditional practices,” prompting outrage among human rights campaigners.

The organizers have also backed “Muwaji’s Law,” a proposed law in Brazil being promoted by evangelical missionaries as a means of breaking up tribal families.

Citing the case of Iganani Suruwaha, an indigenous girl with cerebral palsy whose mother fled her community for an evangelical mission, the press release states that:

“In August 2015 the Deputies Chamber approved ‘Muwaji’s Law,’ which seeks to combat harmful traditional practices at indigenous communities – such as infanticide or homicide, sexual abuse, individual or collective rape, slavery, torture, abandonment of people in need and domestic violence.”

Muwaji’s Law enables the authorities to take tribal children away from their families and requires all members of a community to tell the authorities about any pregnant woman in a “situation of risk.” The law applies to everyone, including expectant fathers and other family members. All those who fail to report the pregnancy, whether real or merely suspected, commit a crime for which they can be prosecuted.

Read the rest at Survival International

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