A/HRC/35/41/Add.1 the medical personnel refused to treat her for three days and only reacted when the patient was in agonizing pain. The absence of equipment and medication was also raised. The Ombudsperson, for example, reported that a field visit late in 2015 to several departments mostly inhabited by indigenous peoples in the Chaco province revealed serious impediments in gaining access to secondary health centres, due to the limited availability of ambulances, qualified doctors and basic medical supplies and medication to treat common affections. The investigation also highlighted the total absence of an intercultural perspective in public health policies.12 35. It should be noted that the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in its 2015 country report on Argentina, underscored that between 1990 and 2014 child mortality among indigenous children aged under 5 years had stagnated at three times the national average, which itself had decreased over the same period.13 Recently, an emerging trend of possible high incidence of suicide among indigenous young people was to be investigated by the organization. 36. A research published in 2013 by the University of Buenos Aires presented alarming data regarding the malnutrition of indigenous children in the province of Salta. The study, carried out from June to August 2011 in 74 communities, showed a significant prevalence of chronic malnourishment among indigenous children of up to 62.4 per cent of 1 to 4-yearolds, and 37.5 per cent, of those aged under 1 year. In total, 50 per cent of indigenous children aged under 1 year and 70.8 per cent of those aged 1 to 4 suffered from some type of nutritional deficit. The Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples had already reported in 2012 concerns about the situation in the Chaco province, which was ordered by the National Supreme Court to take a series of actions to ensure that the inhabitants of the region receive health care and adequate food. Unfortunately, cases of death linked to malnutrition of indigenous children were again reported both in Chaco and Salta in 2015. 37. While visiting the northern provinces of Salta and Formosa, recurring complaints were received about access to education, namely, the absence of adequate proximity educational facilities, the absence of qualified teachers to implement the bilingual intercultural education enshrined in the Constitution, the high level of school dropout or even instances where children had passed a class without having really achieved the required level of learning. Furthermore, situations of stigmatization and isolation of indigenous children in mixed schools were reported, with little effort from educators to foster a culture of acceptance, mutual respect and understanding among students. The Special Rapporteur notes with grave concern the absence of qualified teachers from indigenous communities nationwide, which is a serious obstacle to the implementation of bilingual intercultural education. In general, teachers receive very little training on intercultural education and indigenous themes. Failure to implement an intercultural bilingual education has de facto excluded a significant number of indigenous children from having access to adequate education. 38. Moreover, the large differences between the availability of adequate educational facilities in urban versus rural areas disproportionally affect indigenous children. For example, in Salta, the local Ministry of Education noted that until very recently there had been no secondary schools in rural areas. In October 2013, the Ombudsperson was called to visit a community in the province of Salta, where it found that the infrastructures of the local school were in clear violation of the rights of more than 500 children, mostly indigenous. The only response received was from the provincial Ministry of Education, which mentioned that a refurbishment project would be introduced in the 2015 budget proposal. This example, among many similar ones, is telling of the little commitment by the various institutions to prioritize actions to immediately stop the violations endured by indigenous peoples, including children. 12 13 See Defensor del Pueblo de la Nación, Informe Anual 2015 (Buenos Aires, 2015), p. 44. Available from www.dpn.gob.ar/documentos/anuales/ianual2015.pdf. See UNICEF, “Informe Anual de Actividades, Argentina, 2015”, p. 18. Available from www.unicef.org/argentina/spanish/pfp_informeAnaul2016.pdf. 9