The Continental Network of Indigenous Women of the Americas (Spanish: Enlace Continental de Mujeres Indígenas or ECMIA) is an indigenous advocacy organization that prioritizes the education of indigenous practices to act as a form of resistance and social change.^[1] ECMIA is made up of members from the three Americas: North America, Central America, South America.^[2] ECMIA was founded by Tarcila Rivera Zea, president of Centro de Culturas Indigenas del Peru (CHIRAPAQ)^[3] and Quechua activist.

ECMIA was born out of a multitude of indigenous activists and indigenous organizations coming together to strategize and organize collective advocacy for their political demands transnationally. ECMIA originally was made up of 26 indigenous organizations from 22 different countries to advocate for indigenous rights, women's rights, and climate change.^[4] The National Coordinator of Indigenous Women (Coordinadora Nacional de Mujeres Indigenas or CONAMI) was one of the first organizations to join ECMIA and some of the first few members to aid in forming ECMIA were indigenous women leaders Margarita Gutierrez, Sofia Robles, and Martha Sanchez Nestor.^[4]

ECMIA aids the United Nations with policy development by participating in debate forums and sharing their personal testimonies. ECMIA focuses on gaining international recognition of the existence of indigenous people all over the world. ECMIA's work towards acknowledgement, acceptance, and admission for indigenous people globally serves as the foundation for addressing the multifaceted challenges they face. ECMIA aspires to tackle all the social, economic, political, and cultural struggles of the indigenous community.^[2]

Since the late 1980s, political organizations have been met with discourse surrounding ethnic identity and dialogue that is inclusive of indigenous voices as indigenous women’s organizations came to fruition. During the World Conference of Women in1995, indigenous women gathered to collectively create their declarations that focused on the demands of women as indigenous peoples.^[5]

Indigenous participants were assigned an ambassador and many were unpleased with this decision and sparked the idea to form a collective organization that would allow them a proper representation of themselves.^[4] While many feminist NGOs existed and partook in the United Nation Conference, ECMIA was created to give indigenous women an autonomous space to speak out on the feminist perspective of specifically indigenous issues and challenges internationally.^[4] ECMIA attained acknowledgement of their collective challenges and self-determination through their presence at the United Nations.

The Beijing Declaration of Indigenous Women empowered many more social mobilizations to take place internationally. As a result conventions on women's issues transpired such as the Conventions on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) and the Inter-American Convention to Prevent, Punish, and Eradicate Violence against Women (Convention of Belem Do Para).^[6] Indigenous women have since used their feminist perspective to assume political roles and advocate for their autonomy and human rights.

The ECMIA, comprising indigenous and mixed women, is dedicated to empowering indigenous women and youth. At the apex of its decision-making structure is the Continental Assembly, a forum that convenes every three years during Continental meetings, bringing together representatives from all affiliated organizations.^[7] Their principles underscore a commitment to advocating for the rights of indigenous peoples and women, fostering unity among all member organizations under the ECMIA umbrella to secure these rights.^[8] Additional key principles include a dedication to autonomy, the promotion of equal opportunities between indigenous men and women, and the cultivation of respectful relationships within the organization.^[7]

The ECMIA is actively cognizant of its internal challenges and has articulated strategies for improvement for the years 2010-2022. These initiatives include establishing a systematic process for formulating declarations addressing violations of the human rights of indigenous women. Additionally, the organization aims to secure permanent economic resources to sustain its operations and projects.^[7] Recognizing the significance of legal expertise, the ECMIA aspires to engage indigenous lawyers specializing in the defense of human rights for indigenous women.^[7] Furthermore, the ECMIA seeks to establish robust connections with key stakeholders at both continental and regional levels, fostering collaboration and influence at high echelons of decision-making.^[8]

The ECMIA is committed to advancing the comprehensive participation of indigenous women in political and public decision-making processes, both at local and international levels, particularly in areas directly affecting them.^[8] These encompass crucial domains such as equitable access to land, territory, and productive resources, as well as ensuring fair access to justice, comprehensive healthcare, and fostering intercultural education.^[7]

The ECMIA has formed alliances with various networks in order to strengthen their organization. Through alliances and relationships, the ECMIA values such networks due to their ability to share knowledge among one another, helping each other respond to violence, the increased representativeness in political support, and an overall support system.^[9] Given that it is a global network, the ECMIA has experience creating alliances with international systems like the United Nations.^[9] With this alliance, the organization has used this as a means of increasing their political support. In addition to this very powerful alliance, the CONAMI’s help in the finding of the ECMIA has persisted as one of the organization's most valuable ties. Because of the ECMIA’s global network, they also have alliances with groups like the Femmes Autochtones du Québec, who were pictured with the ECMIA in 2007 jointly in the Fifth Continental Encuentro.^[8] In addition to this, the ECMIA has also secured an allyship with El Salvador’s government through its inclusion in El Salvador’s National Action Plan of Indigenous Peoples.

The ECMIA has produced several publications that align with their advocacy. Notably, they have created an infographic brochure addressing sexual health entitled “Juventudes indígenas por nuestros Derechos sexuales y Derechos reproductivos” (Indigenous Youth for Our Sexual and Reproductive Rights).^[10] This infographic sheds light on the pervasive taboo surrounding sexual health within many indigenous communities, which is attributed to entrenched patriarchal and colonial mindsets.^[10] The publication confronts the stereotype that dictates women must prioritize motherhood, emphasizing the importance of recognizing the right of young girls and women to make autonomous decisions about whether or not to have children. It underscores the need to challenge prevailing attitudes through open dialogues about sexual health, particularly in Indigenous languages, with the ultimate goal of improving services. The brochure urges the active involvement of men in these conversations, envisioning the creation of safer and more supportive spaces within indigenous communities for all.

Women affiliated with the ECMIA actively engage with international organizations such as the United Nations to advocate for the well-being of their communities. Eva Gamboa, a representative of the ECMIA, collaborated with the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations to raise awareness about the hazards of agricultural toxins in May 2019. She highlighted the concerning proximity of fields and water contaminated with these toxins to educational institutions, including universities and schools where children attend.^[11] When addressing the ECMIA’s response to such dangers, Gamboa explained that the organization collaborates with countries to ensure compliance with environmental protection laws, especially in instances where adherence is lacking.^[11] Additionally, the ECMIA aims to obtain real-time data illustrating the impact of contamination on indigenous communities.^[11] In combating environmental threats, Gamboa stressed the importance of community engagement, asserting that training programs are necessary to educate communities about their rights. To facilitate on-the-ground training, the ECMIA would collaborate with local leaders to secure programs and budgets dedicated to community education and empowerment.^[11]

The ECMIA has submitted proposals to the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII), aiming to address the implementation of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in North America. Specifically, the 2011 proposals highlight concerns over the Canadian and U.S. governments' reluctance to review and revise policies related to UNDRIP.^[12] ECMIA's recommendations encompass several key areas. In the realm of global recognition, ECMIA calls for an explicit acknowledgment of the situation faced by unrepresented indigenous peoples.^[12] They emphasize the need for a dedicated task force on unrepresented and unrecognized Indigenous Peoples, advocating for the inclusion of historical tribes, migrant indigenous peoples, and their descendants in the United States.^[12] Furthermore, ECMIA proposes the establishment of robust mechanisms for collecting data on unrepresented indigenous peoples, giving special attention to environmental concerns.^[12] In addressing the governments of Canada and the United States, ECMIA urges a commitment to effective and inclusive consultations with Indigenous peoples. These recommendations are grounded in the context of the Canadian and U.S. governments rejecting their obligation to align policies with UNDRIP, thus posing challenges to the rights of indigenous peoples in North America.^[12] ECMIA's initiatives seek to proactively address these challenges and advocate for a comprehensive approach to realizing the principles outlined in UNDRIP within the region.

Strides Regarding the Violence of Indigenous Women

The ECMIA addresses issues regarding acts of violence against indigenous women. The first instance where indigenous women collectively came together and condemned violence like sex trafficking, rape, and sexual slavery in military operations along with the commercialization of indigenous women in the tourism sector was at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing.^[9] At the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the indigenous women from all over the world who came together for the event recommended that governments should create suitable instruments for the protection of indigenous women from domestic and state violence, reinforce the systems of customary law and of justice that support women victims of violence, and eliminate the indigenous laws, customs, and traditions that discriminate against indigenous women.^[9]

Then in 2002 at the First Indigenous Women Summit of the Americas which took place in Oaxaca and which ECMIA organized along with the Rigoberta Menchu Foundation, indigenous women there identified racism as one of the worst kinds of violence affecting the lives of indigenous women.^[9]

ECMIA prepared a report titled Violences and Indigenous Women(2013) for the fifty-seventh session of the Commission on the Status of Women, this report contributed to the understanding of the multiple kinds of violence from the viewpoint of the indigenous women involved in ECMIA’s reality.^[9]

ECMIA advocated at the Montevideo consensus on population and development that commits governments to adopt the necessary measures so that indigenous individuals benefit from protection and full guarantees against all forms of violence and discrimination and to take measures to ensure the restitution of rights.^[9]

At the World Conference on Indigenous Peoples, ECMIA achieved the commitment of states to intensify efforts to prevent and eliminate all kinds of violence and discrimination against Indigenous women.^[9]

ECMIA has achieved advocacy in the formulation of more than 40 recommendations of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues that relate specifically to the violence that affects Indigenous women.^[9]

Institutionalization of services of appraisal, interpretation, and translation of indigenous languages in the Judiciary of El Chaco.^[9]

Recognition of the Houses of the Indigenous Woman (CAMI) and of their self-managed model for attention to violence and sexual and reproductive health, with an intercultural gender-based approach, as a public policy.^[9]

Inclusion in El Salvador’s National Action Plan of Indigenous Peoples (PLANPIES) of actions like ‘promoting the creation of a program that harmonizes the Law for a Life Free of Violence for Women and the National Policy for Access of Women to a Life Free of Violence with the wisdom and cultural values of the Indigenous Peoples’.^[9]

Recognition of two health systems in Guatemala, the ordinary and the traditional, through a sentence which, among other things, orders the authorities of the Ministry of Health to generate protocols for attending to the health of indigenous women.^[9]