Brazilians have been watching scenes of a humanitarian tragedy since the federal government declared a Public Health Emergency of National Concern in the Yanomami land ten days ago.
On the list of human rights violations, there are death cases due to severe malnutrition, malaria outbreaks, contaminated water, violence and even sexual assault against Indigenous women, including teenagers.
Despite the recent focus on the crisis, these accusations are not new. Indigenous communities, organizations, and popular movements have observed an increase in illegal mining activities in the region since the first days of the Jair Bolsonaro government (Liberal Party). Criminal activity is considered the main cause of devastation in that Indigenous area.
Fiocruz Researcher professor Ana Cláudia Vasconcellos, who teaches at the Joaquim Venâncio Polytechnic School of Health (EPSJV/Fiocruz), says this scenario is rooted in a “retrograde and perverse” idea that considers the existence of native peoples and the preservation of their lifestyle bad for the country.
:: Brasil de Fato: 20 years of popular communication and struggle for democracy ::
“Unfortunately, there are many people who think this way and believe that the lands occupied by native peoples – which represent 13.8 percent of Brazilian territory – should be used to produce commodities such as corn and soybeans, cattle raising, logging and other activities involving the exploitation of natural resources. In other words, a representative portion of Brazilian society believes these public lands shouldn't be used by Indigenous peoples; [they think] it is a waste.”
She warns that the situation worsens when authorities corroborate this kind of idea, as seen throughout the Bolsonaro administration.
“When this kind of conception, which is harmful and colonialist, is voiced by governmental authorities, such as former President Jair Bolsonaro, it produces very serious consequences. An example of it is denying the Yanomami people their constitutional rights, such as drinking water, medical care, food safety and housing.”
A stretch of the Mucajaí River in Roraima: mining site in an indigenous area belonging to the Yanomami people / MICHAEL DANTAS / AFP
Contaminated water
One of the focuses of Ana Cláudia Vasconcellos's research is the consequences of exposing humans to mercury, a metal used in mining activities. It contaminates water and fish and prevents the use of water for irrigation, as well as causing diseases to spread.
Last year, a technical note signed by Vasconcellos and other researchers who also work at Fiocruz warned about the high levels of mercury detected in fish from the Branco River Basin in Roraima state.
Analyses reveal that children under five may consume 32 times as much as is recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO/UN). The Bolsonaro government did not comment on the document and took no action to reverse the scenario.
:: Morocco’s army forced return to armed struggle, says Sahrawi minister ::
To solve problems of such seriousness, Vasconcellos states that the only way out is to expel all illegal miners immediately from Indigenous lands. According to her, punishment is needed for those who commit crimes.
“It's an activity that causes deforestation, soil erosion, silting up of rivers, but also the contamination of Amazonian ecosystems with mercury. The mercury used by illegal miners is called ‘metálico', but it's commonly known in the Amazon region as ‘azougue'.”
“The azougue thrown in aquatic ecosystems becomes methylmercury due to bacteria living in river sediment. Methylmercury is the most dangerous type of mercury.”
All kinds of animals that live in rivers get contaminated, and they are used as food. That's how people are contaminated. It has a specific action on the human body and harms the central nervous system.”
:: "With Lula, without a doubt, hope is reborn," says Evo Morales at the CELAC Social Summit ::
Studies indicate that mercury can persist in the environment for a century. Vasconcellos, however, states that some studies show the interruption of illegal mining is both short- and mid-term beneficial. Ana Paula Vasconcellos stated that, in addition to the measures already announced by Lula (Workers' Party) for the Yanomami region, there will be a need to monitor the populations exposed to contamination.
On the same day the state of emergency was declared in the region, the federal government determined the creation of a working group involving several ministries to tackle the humanitarian tragedy. By decree, the task force has 90 days to act. During the first 45 days of work, it will need to present a "structuring action plan" with responses to the crisis.
