Deusdedit Ruhangariyo
ICT
Around the World: Indigenous defenders bear the brunt of global business violence; “Stay focused on the goal,” says 87-year-old Cree grad in Canada; Sámi launch certification to support ethical tourism in Finland; and Indigenous-led initiatives win Western Australia grants for suicide prevention.
REPORT: Indigenous defenders bear brunt of business violence
In the past decade, more than 6,400 human rights defenders have been attacked worldwide, with Indigenous peoples disproportionately targeted for defending their land, water and way of life. A new report by the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre has revealed the harrowing scale of violence, pointing to a crisis that continues to escalate in silence, Mongabay reported on May 23.
“That’s close to two attacks every day over the past 10 years against defenders who are raising concerns about business-related risks and harms,” said Christen Dobson, co-head of the centre’s civic freedoms and human rights defenders’ program, during a media briefing.
But even these numbers, she warned, are “just the tip of the iceberg,” as the data draws only from publicly reported cases by journalists and civil society – leaving countless assaults undocumented.
The report paints a chilling picture: three out of every four attacks were aimed at defenders of climate, land and the environment. Indigenous people, who make up just 6 percent of the world’s population, were victims in nearly 20 percent of all attacks. Even more tragically, they accounted for 31 percent of those killed – most of them in Latin America and the Philippines.
“We also, over these past 10 years, have seen a consistent pattern of attacks, and that many defenders face multiple attacks, and there’s often an escalation,” Dobson said.
The violence spans nearly all industries, but mining is the deadliest. The sector is linked to 1,681 attacks, followed by agribusiness (1,154), fossil fuels (792), renewable energy (454), and logging (359) – all industries closely tied to the climate crisis.
“Mining has consistently been the most dangerous sector for human rights defenders,” said Lady Nancy Zuluaga Jaramillo, co-author of the report and senior legal researcher at the Business and Human Rights Resource Centre.
Regionally, Latin America and the Caribbean, and Asia and the Pacific remain the most perilous places for defenders. In both regions, Indigenous peoples often stand as the final line between profit-driven destruction and ancestral survival.
Journalists have not been spared either with nearly 600 attacks targeting those reporting on environmental, land, and corruption issues.
The types of attacks are varied and vicious: 3,310 were strategic lawsuits against public participation, 1,088 were killings, 835 involved intimidation or threats, and 629 were cases of nonlethal physical violence.
Most distressing is the global culture of impunity. Despite legal obligations, the majority of attacks – both lethal and non-lethal – go uninvestigated and unpunished, fostering a culture of impunity that only emboldens further violence,” the report states.
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre and its partners are calling for urgent legal protections for defenders and for companies to recognize and engage Indigenous and community defenders as critical voices in environmental due diligence and accountability.
CANADA: ‘Stay focused on the goal,’ says 87-year-old Cree grad
When Louise Fraser walked across the stage at Saskatoon’s Prairieland Park on May 24, she wasn’t just celebrating the end of a long academic journey – she was reclaiming a piece of herself that had once been nearly erased, CBC News reported on May 25.
“I felt happy because I worked so hard to reach this goal,” Fraser said. “I wasn’t just getting a teaching degree. I was taking back something that was taken from me as a child.”
As a young girl, Fraser grew up surrounded by the Cree language. It was the language of her home, her family, and her identity. But everything changed when she was sent to a residential school in Manitoba at the age of eight.
“When I was a child, I was fluent in the Cree language because I heard it all the time at home from my family. But when I went to residential school, I was not able to use my language anymore,” she said.
Now 87, Fraser has become the oldest graduate in the history of the University of Saskatchewan’s Indian Teacher Education Program, a four-year degree designed for First Nations students pursuing careers in education. On Saturday, she stood alongside 38 fellow graduates to receive her degree in front of proud family and supporters.
Fraser’s Cree name is wîhkaskwa iskwéw, which means “Sweetgrass Woman.” She is from Mistawasis Nêhiyawak, west of Prince Albert, and has spent much of her life repairing the cultural damage inflicted by her early experiences.
“Being at residential school, losing my identity, my language and my culture — we had to leave it behind,” she said. “We couldn’t follow our culture anymore.”
That rupture set her on a lifelong path of healing and education. Over the years, she raised four children, earned multiple diplomas, completed a master’s degree, and worked in areas ranging from library science to mental health. Still, something was missing.
In 2023, Fraser applied to the university’s teacher education program, inspired by her granddaughter who graduated from the same program in 2018. While she initially felt uncertain navigating new technology and sitting among much younger students, she quickly found her rhythm.
“I found strength and support in the community,” she said.
The program, which emphasizes Indigenous language, culture and pedagogy, gave Fraser a renewed sense of purpose.
“I heard about many people not speaking our languages anymore. Parents aren’t speaking the language to their children. I thought going back to school would be a way of getting it back,” she explained.
Now, she has fulfilled her dream of becoming a teacher. When asked what advice she would offer to someone who feels they’re too old to return to school, her answer was clear and confident.
“Figure out what you want to do, make plans to make it happen… Just keep thinking about the goal,” she said.
Looking ahead, Fraser plans to teach Cree and share her story in classrooms and communities – not just as a teacher, but as a living testament to the power of resilience and reclamation.
FINLAND: Sámi launch certification to support ethical tourism
A proposed new certification system was unveiled May 21 at the Indigenous Peoples Conference in Inari, Finland, where the Sámi Parliament expressed hopes it will set clear guidelines for tourism businesses operating in Lapland, Eye on the Arctic reported.
A new certification program aimed at promoting ethical and culturally respectful tourism in Finland’s Sámi regions was presented during the Indigenous Peoples Conference in Inari. The Sámi Parliament hopes the initiative will set clear standards for tour operators working in Lapland and protect Sámi culture and land.
Called the Responsible Sámi Tourism Certificate, the system will recognize businesses that operate in ways that respect Sámi values and protect the environment, while offering visitors genuine experiences of Sámi life.
“The purpose of the certification work is primarily to clarify the current situation of Sámi tourism, so that we can better support those who operate correctly and sustainably,” said Tauno Ljetoff, a member of the Sámi Parliament, during the event.
To qualify, tourism operators must meet a range of criteria tied to cultural integrity and environmental stewardship. While the certification is still in draft form, it is undergoing review and is expected to be finalized later this year.
Once approved, the certification will be introduced across Sámi regions in Finland. Those involved in the project believe it could serve as a model for other Indigenous communities worldwide seeking to take greater control over how tourism is conducted on their lands.
The initiative is supported with funding from the European Union.
Kirsi Suomi, the project planner for the certification effort, said the aim is to offer businesses practical, respectful guidelines rooted in Sámi values.
“The criteria will still be considered by the Sámi Parliament’s Board of Directors before being approved by the Sámi Parliament meeting,” she explained.
Tourism remains a major source of income for many Sámi, and the certification is expected to help elevate businesses that are truly rooted in the community.
“The coordination of traditional livelihoods and tourism is important, and I believe that through certification work we can create even better practices,” added Ljetoff.
This initiative follows earlier steps by the Sámi Parliament to encourage responsible tourism. In 2018, they introduced the Principles of Responsible Sámi Tourism, and in 2022, they released Guidelines for Tourists. Both efforts were responses to rising tourist numbers in Lapland, which brought challenges ranging from cultural misrepresentation to environmental harm.
Incidents included non-Sámi individuals dressing in traditional Sámi clothing, tourists imitating ceremonies, and visitors photographing Sámi children and schools without consent. These actions have disrupted traditional practices such as reindeer herding, hunting, and berry gathering.
The new certification builds on those efforts, aiming to ensure that tourism contributes positively to Sámi communities rather than exploiting them.
The Indigenous Peoples Conference, where the certificate was introduced, run from May 20 to 22 and was hosted in partnership with the World Indigenous Tourism Alliance and the University of Lapland. The gathering has placed a strong emphasis on ethical tourism and the rights of Indigenous communities to define how their cultures and territories are represented in the global travel industry.
AUSTRALIA: Indigenous-led initiatives win suicide prevention grants
Western Australia is allocating $1 million in grants to support suicide prevention efforts led by Indigenous and community-based organizations, National Indigenous Times reported on May 20.
The Western Australian government will distribute $1 million in grants to support culturally grounded, community-led suicide prevention initiatives across the state. The funding aims to break down stigma and raise mental health awareness through programs that reflect the lived realities and cultural strengths of local communities.
Among the recipients is the Aboriginal Family Legal Service, which will use the funding to run the Red Dress Wadjak Arts Healing project. This initiative uses creative arts and culturally safe workshops to support the emotional and social healing of Aboriginal women, children, and young people who have experienced family and domestic violence.
Also receiving funding is the Broome Regional Aboriginal Medical Service for its Yarn with Me project. The program will provide Aboriginal Mental Health First Aid training for staff and accredited suicide prevention training for local community members – building skills from within to care for one another.
Another supported initiative is the Deadly Maaman Mooditj Kaat (Deadly Men Good Thinking-Head) program. It focuses on helping Aboriginal men and boys improve their understanding of mental health, reduce stigma, and strengthen resilience.
The announcement coincides with the 2025 National Suicide Prevention Conference, held in Perth from Tuesday to Thursday under the theme “Together Towards Tomorrow.” Addressing the conference, Mental Health Minister Meredith Hammat emphasized the need for unity in tackling the crisis.
“We can’t do it alone; everyone has a role to play in preventing and reducing deaths by suicide,” she said.
She added that community-driven action is key: “Through funding grassroots organizations, we are helping those who understand best what their community needs.”
The urgency is underscored by the latest Closing the Gap data, which shows Indigenous suicide rates continue to rise across Australia. Many of the groups receiving funding are Indigenous-led – a recognition that solutions must be rooted in culture, not imposed from above.
Last year, the first-ever national dataset on Aboriginal youth mental health, led by renowned psychologist Dr. Tracy Westerman and The Westerman Jilya Institute, found that 42 percent of participants had experienced suicidal thoughts.
In 2022, suicide remained the leading cause of death for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people aged 15–39. The suicide rate among Indigenous youth is now four times higher than their non-Indigenous peers, worsened by disproportionate incarceration and out-of-home care placements.
Previous studies revealed that some of the highest suicide rates globally have been recorded in remote First Nations communities in Western Australia.
“The rate of suicide among Aboriginal children remains unacceptably high. This is not a statistic but a pressing issue that demands immediate attention,” said Dr. Westerman, founder and executive chair of Jilya.
She added that while mental illness has long been seen as a driving factor, “This data is showing us that risk indicators markedly differ for Aboriginal youth, which is vital knowledge to have.”
My final thoughts
My final thoughts are about the latest Business and Human Rights Resource Centre report.
They say the earth is dying. But the truth is, it’s being murdered and those who try to stop the killing are being hunted down, one by one.
According to the report, three out of four human rights attacks in the last decade were against people defending land, water and life itself. And guess who’s bleeding the most? Indigenous peoples. They’re just 6 percent of the world, but they make up 31 percent of the dead. That’s not a statistic. That’s a warning shot.
These aren’t just killings. They’re executions of memory. Erasures of culture. Silencing of ancestral wisdom.
Behind every tree fallen, there’s a name. Behind every mining license, a mother weeps. Behind every “clean energy” project, another Indigenous village is bulldozed without consent. And when they speak up? They’re slapped with lawsuits. Or worse – bullets.
The same governments that shake hands at climate summits can’t even bother to investigate a single murder of a forest defender. Companies flaunt ESG badges while their operations leave trails of fear and coffins. It’s not just greenwashing. It’s blood washing.
Let’s stop calling them “protests.” These are the last stands. These are funeral songs disguised as resistance.
And still, they fight.
So, the question is how many more need to die before the world listens? Or will we keep applauding progress while standing on stolen land soaked in silence?
As one Indigenous leader once put it: ‘‘We don’t need your voice. We need you to use yours before we lose ours.”
