GENEVA, March 18 (Xinhua) -- Serious violations of indigenous peoples' rights by the United States, Canada and Australia are not just something of the past, but a matter of chronic and systemic racism that continues to this day, a senior Chinese diplomat said here Friday.
Speaking at a video side-event co-hosted by the Permanent Mission of Venezuela and the Permanent Mission of China in Geneva during the 49th Session of the Human Rights Council, minister Jiang Duan of the Chinese Mission called on the countries to uproot the pernicious legacies of colonialism, eradicate systemic racism and discrimination to ensure the equality and rights of the indigenous peoples.
As is well known, Jiang said, by means of killings, displacements, and forced assimilation, the United States has systematically deprived American Indians of their basic rights, including the right to life, political, economic and cultural rights, in an attempt to physically and culturally eradicate the entire community.
"The Indian population plummeted from 5 million at the end of the 15th century to 237,000 at the beginning of the 20th century, when many tribes were completely extinct," he noted.
He continued that since the beginning of last year, there has been shocking and distressing discovery of a large number of unnamed graves and remains of indigenous children in Canada, and the truth remains untangled to this day.
Australia, he said, has in history pursued the notorious "White Australia Policy", under which 100,000 aboriginal children were forcibly taken away from their families, causing lifetime harm and trauma to the "stolen generation."
"Today, indigenous peoples are still subject to widespread and systemic discrimination and inequality in these countries, and are marginalized and left at the bottom of society politically, economically and culturally. The COVID-19 pandemic has only exacerbated their disadvantaged situation," he stressed.
He urged the United States, Canada and Australia to reflect seriously on their wrongdoings, immediately amend laws and change policies that violate indigenous peoples' rights, investigate the crimes and hold the perpetrators accountable. ■
