A/HRC/24/41/Add.3 supporting them, are frequently labelled as members of these movements and stigmatized as criminals. 22. The presence of military forces in indigenous areas is alleged to have resulted in a number of violations of the rights of indigenous peoples. The widespread nature of militarization in the region according to the information received by the Special Rapporteur poses a serious obstacle to access to justice and freedom of expression. Intimidation and fear of reprisal prevents indigenous peoples from taking legal action against the military for ongoing and historical abuses. Killings of indigenous activists and human rights defenders continue in many places throughout the region. In some jurisdictions, indigenous peoples regard the military as violently suppressing their movements for self-determination and autonomy. In addition, in some States, the presence of military forces in indigenous areas has reportedly resulted in the forceful acquisition of indigenous lands, the increased settlement of non-indigenous groups in those lands, the destruction of indigenous peoples’ homes, and in breakdowns in indigenous peoples’ control over their territories. 23. The Special Rapporteur also received information that security plans often tend to target insurgent groups located in the resource-rich territories of indigenous peoples. Thus, in many cases, indigenous peoples regard the military presence in their territories, which is purported to be for anti-insurgency purposes, to be aimed instead at suppressing resistance to natural resources extraction projects. In this regard, the militarization of indigenous territories is also considered as deeply connected with the failure to recognize indigenous peoples’ land rights and the denial of access to justice. 24. The particularly serious impact that militarization of indigenous peoples’ territories has on women was raised. Participants pointed to the need to tackle the culture of silence which often accompanies such gender-based violence and to guarantee that an appropriate forum is available to address it. The relevance of Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security was raised, as was the importance of education for the police and other government bodies. 25. Prosecutions and compensation for extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary killings remain inadequate, according to participants in the consultation. The importance of ensuring indigenous participation in peace negotiations impacting them, and the potential role of customary practices in such negotiations, was also emphasized. Indigenous representatives recommended the application of customary law to military units and the recognition of indigenous guards by local government and law enforcement agencies. A representative of a national human rights institution pointed to the role these institutions could play in facilitating dialogue between the military, communities and other independent human rights organizations. Some indigenous peoples have implemented a proactive monitoring approach through the use of information communication technologies to rapidly alert relevant actors when human rights violations occur in remote areas. C. Other human rights issues a. Social and economic conditions 26. Indigenous peoples in Asia constitute some of the most vulnerable and socioeconomically marginalized sectors of the countries in which they live. Their disproportionate representation among the region’s poor is attributable to historical and contemporary alienation of their lands and resources, inadequate participation in decisionmaking related to policy and legislation, and poorly designed or targeted government programmes implemented against a backdrop of structurally embedded centuries-old discrimination. 9