“The death of the indigenous child in a vulnerable situation hurts us”, he said through Twitter, referring to the death last week of a minor due to lack of medical attention.

The congressman assured that other minors are sick and in vulnerable conditions for which they need urgent attention.

Leader of the ‘Nasa’ ethnic group, María Violet Medina, said that since last 8 this month they warned about the health of several minors, worsened by the rains, low temperatures and sanitary conditions in the capital settlement.

She stressed that in an exchange with authorities they had already requested the presence of a permanent health brigade to attend to the medical needs of the population.

Representatives of 14 indigenous groups of Colombia request assistance from Bogota and national authorities.

Pregnant women, children and the elderly are the most vulnerable in inhospitable and crowded conditions in which they find themselves, even some pregnant women present abortion threats and several minors suffer respiratory problems.

A dialogue table has been requested with an agenda delivered on September 30 to public legal offices.

The fundamental element of the petition is the arrangement for talks to debate guarantees and implementation of public policies for indigenous peoples in the capital district, as well as the relocation to their original territories.

The National Indigenous Organization of Colombia and the Commission on Human Rights of Indigenous Peoples recently presented a report in which they argue the dangers that threaten these populations in the absence of the State.

They warned about the multiple interests that converge on the territories of the four ethnic groups of the Sierra Nevada of Santa Marta, and about dangers for those who live in the Amazon and border areas.

Especially highlighted was the situation of the ‘Wayuu’ people, in the department of La Guajira, “which historically has been in complete State neglect”.

Among main contents of structural situation affecting the human rights of the communities are the strengthening of illegal armed actors, the worsening of military confrontations around and within the indigenous territories, as well as the division strategies by the government within some indigenous peoples that violate the principles of autonomy and self-government.

pgh/lcr