Bringing the horror of Factory Schooling to light
- Details
- Published on Thursday, 22 November 2018 18:50
- Written by editor
An important day for children around the world r33
Hi everyone,
As an ally of tribal peoples, you’ve probably already heard about the horrific and dehumanizing education systems that the Canadian, American and Australian governments devised in order to forcibly assimilate indigenous peoples.
Maybe you’ve watched the heartbreaking film, “Rabbit Proof Fence,” or read about Canada’s residential school system which was designed “to kill the Indian in the child.”
You might not be aware that right now there are hundreds of thousands of tribal children attending similar schools around the world. At Survival, we call them “factory schools” because of the systematic and abusive “reprogramming” that happens there. But really, there are no words to describe the horrors children endure – physical and sexual abuse are alarmingly common, and children are stripped of their identities and banned from speaking their languages.
We’ll soon be launching a new campaign to expose this scandal. It’s affecting thousands of tribal children around the world, from India and Botswana to Malaysia and French Guiana.
Today is Universal Children's Day. To mark it, we're asking you to help us spread the word. My colleagues Jo and Alicia have written an article on this urgent and horrific humanitarian crisis – please share it with your friends.
Yours in solidarity,
Alice
This month we are...
• Worried about Brazil's future
Are you as concerned as me about Jair Bolsonaro’s recent victory in Brazil’s presidential elections? His appalling racism represents a grave threat to the tribespeople living there. As Survival approaches our 50th anniversary, we’re proud of our work with Brazilian tribes and the land rights we’ve helped them secure – but all this could be undone.
Fiona, our director of research and advocacy, is unsurprisingly alarmed by the danger Bolsonaro now poses, and she doesn’t mince her words. Read her thoughts from The Guardian below:
“Brazil has just elected as its president a far-right nationalist with authoritarian tendencies and fascist inclinations. The country’s 900,000-strong indigenous people are among the many minority groups Jair Bolsonaro has frequently targeted with vitriolic hostility…” Continue reading →
• Reminding ourselves what we're fighting for
Take a look at our gallery of Brazilian Indians for a reminder of humankind’s incredible diversity. The Amazon rainforest is home to hundreds of tribes – they are the people whose land Bolsonaro wants to steal and sell to agri-business →
• Celebrating 50 years of Survival
As we get ready to mark a huge milestone – our 50th anniversary – we’re looking back at some of our many achievements. At times like this, it’s good to remember that change is possible. And it’s all of you who help make it happen. Only two years ago, you helped the Matsés kick an oil company out of their territory in Peru.
Hundreds of you took to Pacific E&P’s Facebook wall in protest, and soon after it withdrew from the oil concession that threatened the tribe’s very existence. In the months ahead, I expect we’ll be calling on you more than ever to stand with tribal peoples around the world. Thank you for all your help so far.
Share
Tweet
Forward
P.S. We take no money from governments or big business so our integrity is never compromised. We rely entirely on your donations to keep fighting for tribal peoples worldwide. Please donate today. Without you, there can be no Survival.
Survival International USA, PO Box 26345, San Francisco, CA 94126 | A 501(c)(3) organization tax I.D. 26-3208869
Survival International, 6 Charterhouse Buildings, London EC1M 7ET, UK | Charity no. 267444
Since 1969 | Supporters in over 100 countries
Offices in Berlin, London, Madrid, Milan, Paris and San Francisco