A/HRC/23/56/Add.1 Representatives of indigenous peoples expressed concerns about the potential negative impact of building a road through this ecological reserve, such as the effects on the way of life of indigenous people, destruction of forest, and damage to animals and plants, while State authorities emphasized the geopolitical and developmental benefits of the project. A consultation was organized by the Government with indigenous communities on the proposed project, although some reported it was inadequate and decided not to participate. Reports were received about the use of excessive force by the police during the indigenous march in Chaparina, Beni, in September 2011, as well as of the harassment of indigenous leaders during peaceful demonstrations of indigenous peoples who opposed the project. In this context, the Government pointed out that the Prosecutor`s Office had launched an investigation process to identify those responsible for the use of force during the march. The Government has recognized the need for an effective consultation mechanism with the indigenous groups affected, and reiterated its commitment to address the underlying structure of the problem. 8. Situation of the Guaraní and other vulnerable indigenous communities 62. The situation of the Guaraní population, an indigenous group mostly located in the eastern Chaco region, was raised during the meetings with various State and non-State interlocutors. It was reported that many Guarani families and communities, defined as “captive communities”, were still subjected to contemporary forms of slavery by landowners. According to the national census of 2001, the Guaraní has a population of 81,011 15 years or older, 71.7 per cent of whom reside in the department of Santa Cruz, 10.8 per cent in Chuquisaca, 8.4 per cent in Tarija, and the rest in various other departments.5 It is estimated that approximately 600 Guaraní families still live in conditions of captivity and forced labour on the various estates of the Chaco. 63. It was noted that various past and ongoing initiatives taken by successive Governments, organizations of indigenous peoples and civil society to eradicate servitude and forced labour had not produced sufficient outcomes, despite some progress. According to the information received, in the Chaco region, the captive communities – Guaraní of all ages and conditions – continued to endure degrading treatment and excessive physical labour, for negligible pay. Many of them live under the threat of corporal punishment and must work to repay debts that the estate owners have forced them to contract. It was reported that there was a significant lack of access to justice and few public services in the Chaco region. Often, cases of violence against Guaraní people are not duly investigated, and the perpetrators (mostly land-owners and their accomplices) are not prosecuted. According to the Government, the Vice-Ministry of Decolonization is paying special attention to combating impunity in cases of racial discrimination against vulnerable indigenous communities. On the recommendation of the Office of the Ombudsman, labour contracts with minimum wage level have been introduced to some extent in the Beni and Chaco regions, where cases of forced labour and servitude are still common. Complaints were received that requests for land submitted by members of the Guaraní people were not given due consideration. 64. The Special Rapporteur also received information about the situation of the Ayoreo people, who are indigenous to the Chaco Boreal, in the border area between Paraguay and the Plurinational State of Bolivia. A total of 1,700 Ayoreos are grouped in 10 communities located in the provinces of Germán Busch and Chiquitos, in the Department of Santa Cruz. 5 14 “Captive Communities: Situation of the Guaraní Indigenous People and Contemporary Forms of Slavery in the Bolivian Chaco, 24 December 2009. Inter-American Commission on Human Rights