In addition, the police forbids the Mapuche women to bring in objects of worship and traditional healing such as lawen, a drink made from leaves, bark or medicinal roots; or even ancestral foods that are not industrially processed.

According to attorneys Luis Arteaga and Josefa Ainardi, these measures violate several agreements signed by Chile, including Convention 169 of the International Labor Organization on Indigenous and Tribal Peoples.

“The disregard and lack of respect for the culture, traditions and spirituality of the Mapuche people is also contrary to the world treaties on human rights that had been ratified by Chile,” both lawyers pointed out in an article issued by “El Ciudadano” newspaper.

Forcing the Mapuche to take their dress off during the search process before entering prisons is discriminatory because such a requirement is not made to any other visitors.

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