What Protection for Women Climate Activists?


Mar 8, 2020 | 18th International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights
Geneva, Switzerland
View Original

The last two years have been the deadliest for environmental activists. Their actions criminalized, even labelled as "terrorist", while they and their families are subjected to relentless pressure and threats. Women and indigenous people are particularly affected: for many indigenous women, their land is the source of their livelihood, spirituality and culture. Destroying land and forests often means the destruction of a whole people. Brazil is symptomatic of these struggles: after the election of Jair Bolsonaro and while the Amazon –a global symbol of the collective welfare– burns, targeted killings increase. How can we protect these activists and help them in their struggle?

Two episodes of the Brazilian series Aruanas will be screened. They recount the investigation by four women working for Aruanas, an environmental NGO, into crimes linking a powerful mining company to illegal miners in the Amazon rainforest.

Who: 18th International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights 

Where: Geneva Switzerland

When: 8 March 2020