A group of indigenous women from the Amazon region succeeded in meeting with the president of Ecuador and members of the Ecuadorian parliament. After a long wait they were finally received, and handed over an official petition denouncing the expansion of the oil frontier in the Amazon rainforest, the lack of free, prior and informed consent, and the particular impacts of oil industry operations on women. However, there has been no concrete response to the petition, nor was there any official record of the meeting, which has led the women to believe that their presentation was not taken into account in the day’s agenda.
To counter the attempted invasion of indigenous territories by oil companies, the women have put forward an alternative proposal called “Kawsak Sacha” – “Living Forest” – aimed at collective preservation, conservation and coexistence with the Amazon rainforest, which they view as sacred territory and as the cultural heritage of its indigenous peoples.
Source: http://www.salvalaselva.org/noticias/5474/mujeres-amazonicas-defienden-la-selva-para-la-vida
