CONGO (BRAZZAVILLE): UNFPA Warns Indigenous People In Danger Of Extinction
Les Depeches de Brazzaville reported on 27 April that, in anticipation of the International Permanent Forum on Indigenous issues, UNFPA Representative David Lawson warned of the risk of extinction of the indigenous populations in Congo. According to the last census, this population accounts 53,500 people, that is 2 per cent of the total population, against 10 per cent a few year ago. Mr. Lawson blames ancestral prejudices, their relative isolation, the poor condition of indigenous women, the lack of access to medical facilities, and the AIDS epidemic: 60 per cent of indigenous youth have never seen a condom. Mr. Lawson said, "Congolese indigenous people reproductive health if not address urgently and vigorously can threaten their very existence." Read in French: Les Depeches de Brazzaville