A/HRC/21/47/Add.2
left the hostels pregnant. In schools without hostels, girls often have to work to pay their
basic living expenses, taking jobs as domestic workers or nannies, with meagre wages and
very long working hours.
2.
Health
68.
The data provided by the Ministry of Health indicate that, in general, indigenous
peoples enjoy a high level of access to the free health services provided by the State (that is,
access to a hospital or a primary health-care centre). Despite this widespread accessibility,
however, the opening hours of health centres in rural communities are sometimes limited,
and there are insufficient health-care professionals, medicines and ambulances to meet the
needs of the indigenous population.
69.
Several sources said that the lack of specific official data on the health of indigenous
peoples was one of the main barriers to providing adequate health-care services. However,
the Special Rapporteur has been struck by some of the data that are available. A study
conducted by the Ministry of Health in 2007 found, for example, that 12.65 per cent of the
indigenous women interviewed had at least one child who died before his or her first
birthday, and that 60 per cent of these deaths were from highly preventable causes.
70.
Specific situations also testify to the serious health problems facing indigenous
communities in Argentina. In 2007, the Ombudsman brought a case before the Supreme
Court involving a number of deaths of members of the Toba indigenous people in the
region known as El Impenetrable, in Chaco province. In that case he denounced the
extreme level of malnutrition and neglect of indigenous peoples by the national and
provincial governments. The Supreme Court ordered the national and provincial
governments to take a series of actions to ensure that the inhabitants of the region receive
health care and adequate food, and it is reported that the Government has made progress in
this regard. Another situation of particular concern is that of the community of Quebrachal
II, inhabited by members of the Wichí people, in Salta province, where it is reported that in
recent years several children and other members of the community have died from
malnutrition.
71.
Poverty among indigenous peoples, especially in rural areas in the north of the
country, is one of the primary factors contributing to their health problems, according to the
Ministry of Health. Indigenous communities’ limited access to land and natural resources in
Argentina contributes to their lack of access to basic services. For example, according to
the information received, the Potae Napocna Navogoh (Spring) community in Formosa is
forbidden from taking clean water from the lakes in the Pilcomayo National Park, which are
located in what they consider to be their traditional lands, and this has contributed to severe
dehydration among members of this community.
72.
Indigenous people, especially indigenous women and particularly in cities, are also
discriminated against when they access medical services in health centres, in that
sometimes they are attended to only after non-indigenous people. Indigenous people who
use their own language face discrimination and communication barriers when dealing with
medical staff. In this regard, the Special Rapporteur notes the programme conducted by
UNDP in 2011 to support INAI efforts to combat the stigma faced by indigenous persons
and eliminate barriers to their access to health care.
3.
Poverty and community development
73.
Indigenous peoples in Argentina suffer from low levels of economic and social
development in comparison with the non-indigenous sectors of the country. According to
UNICEF, 23.5 per cent of indigenous households have unsatisfied basic needs, compared
with 13.8 per cent of non-indigenous households. In the provinces with the highest levels of
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