Santiago de Chile-. Today Chilean gendarmerie officials are forcing Mapuche women to remove their traditional clothing during the registration process to visit their detained relatives, according to judges.
In addition, they are prohibited from entering objects of worship and traditional treatment, such as a herb, a drink made from medicinal leaves, bark or roots, or heirloom foods that are not industrially processed.
According to lawyers Luis Arteaga and Josefa Aynardi, several agreements signed by Chile, including Convention No. 169 of the International Labor Organization, concerning indigenous and tribal peoples are being violated.
In an article published by the newspaper “El Ciudadano”, the jurists pointed out that ignorance and disrespect for the culture, traditions and spirituality of the Mapuche people are inconsistent with the universal human rights treaties ratified by Chile.
That Mapuche women be forced to undress during the registration process before entering the prisons is discriminatory because, they point out, no such request has been made to any of the other visitors.
The complainants also described the refusal to provide traditional food to members of this community deprived of their liberty as arbitrary, because there are regulations that generally allow family members to bring food parcels during their visit.
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