All the Same Across the Globe: The Discrimination Against Aboriginals

They speak over 5,000 languages, live in biodiverse areas, and are sometimes considered among the poorest segments of the population. Colloquially known as Aboriginals, their existence as distinct peoples and cultures has been jeopardised by the implications of "modernity" and "globalisation." In over 90 countries, there are between 370 and 500 million Indigenous Peoples. Despite accounting for only 5% of the world population, they account for around 15% of the extremely poor, owing to discrimination. Indigenous peoples worldwide have a life expectancy that is up to 20 years shorter than non-indigenous peoples (Amnesty International, n.d.). To name a few of the aboriginals – the Orang Asli (Malaysia), Inuit (America), Mayas (Guatemala), Saami (northern Europe), and others. However, indigenous peoples face many challenges and have their human rights violated daily: they are denied authority over their development based on their own beliefs, wants, and aspirations; they are politically inadequate; they lack access to social and other services.

Figure 1: A group of Orang Asli when deforestation projects were taking over their land.

Indigenous peoples are regularly mistreated and discriminated against in global justice systems, rendering them even more vulnerable to violence and abuse. Indigenous tribe rights advocates who speak out face threats, intimidation, and violence, which is sometimes supported by the state. Furthermore, people may be physically beaten and killed just for being a member of an Indigenous community. There is often a direct relationship between exclusion from social protection and discrepancies between urban and rural regions (owing to physical inaccessibility), language (information may not be provided in all languages), and culture. Discrimination affects their daily lives by limiting their access to school, health care, and housing. Indigenous peoples have a life expectancy of up to 20 years lower than non-Indigenous peoples worldwide. Aboriginals frequently have larger rates of poverty, landlessness, hunger, and internal displacement worldwide - and, in some cases, extinction as a people – when they are cut off from resources and traditions critical to their health and survival.

In 1997, an aboriginal woman called a landlord in response to the rental advertisement, wanting to rent a unit. Ergo, they set up an appointment as it was available. However, once the owner arrived, he claimed that the unit was no longer available. After the owner met the woman, he realized that the woman was Aboriginal and essentially lent the unit to other tenants. The tribunal found the woman had been treated less favourably and discriminated against because of her race and awarded $9,000 in damages plus costs. Another case study occurred in 2021 in Queensland; a group of aboriginals were practicing their culture and performing traditional ceremonies on a pastoral lease area. The group was approached by police, asked them to leave, and claimed they were "trespassing." The land was the subject of an Indigenous Land Use Agreement. However, the family was opposed to both the agreement and the mine, affirming that Indigenous people had practiced their culture for 40,000 years through fishing, hunting, and holding rituals. The family told the cops that they had gotten a professional opinion that they could exercise their cultural rights and obligations legally. The police, on the other hand, ordered the group to pack their belongings and leave within an hour. According to the family, this resulted in sadness and trauma.

Indigenous people have been discriminated against and constantly mistreated, regardless of where they are. The issues related to discrimination against indigenous people have been the topic of discussion for a long time. Awareness of human rights is fundamental to making everyone aware of the facilities that must be provided equally to this group of people, especially education and other public facilities.

Written by Nur Aisyah Emilyn Noor Azam