Indigenous communities are exposed to unfair exploitation by issues such as health and land issues, and they include Canada and El Salvador. At the same time, The UN recognizes that poor indigenous peoples make up an estimated 15 percent of the global poor. The fact that socioeconomic differences cross-cut with land displacement and health issues increases indigenous people’s poverty. Critical Social Theory principles are the key underlying the study. With indigenous rights & environmental justice as their main agenda, UN member states embark on efforts to uplift the communities that are sidelined and alleviate poverty among indigenous people globally. This paper examines the systemic injustices Indigenous people are suffering from, which is the main concern expressed by the UN bodies (Economic and Social Development | United Nations For Indigenous Peoples, n.d).
Introduction to Social and Health Issues Among Indigenous Groups in Canada and El Salvador
Indigenous individuals’ social and health issues in Canada and El Salvador are manifestations of systemic problems from the past and continue to the present, arising from historical injustices and ongoing marginalization. The Inherent heritages of Indigenous people, First Nations such as Metis and Inuit in Canada, are still struggling with colonization, which led to the loss of land, cultural oppression and economic inequalities among themselves. In El Salvador, the Lencas, who are considered ethnic indigenous groups, have not been spared from the social and health issues, among them being loss of ancestral lands and malnutrition, made worse by poor political representation and racial bias. (Indigenous Peoples in El Salvador, n.d) In spite of that, both countries have the same issues, such as overcoming social determinants of health and pursuing health justice in the indigenous populations (The Indigenous World, 2020).
Moreover, in both Canada and El Salvador, Indigenous communities have their major health issues, which are intertwined with historical injustices, discrimination, and social exclusions. Indigenous communities from both countries face healthcare gaps, education, and cultural preservation challenges. This is also true regarding employment options.
Canada
Statistics
It is estimated that Indigenous people accounted for about 4.9% of Canada’s general population as of 2016, which numbered roughly 1.67 million people. This is where the First Nations had the biggest population at 60%, and the Métis had the next biggest at 36%, followed by the Inuit at 4%. Substantially, the Native demographic structure significantly leans towards youthfulness, which is indicated by the high number of young people compared to the general population (Profile of Indigenous Canada, 2020). The communities of indigenous people occupy mainly rural areas, which is a significant reason that almost 60% of their population depends on economic development and a sense of well-being. Although constitutional recognition of Indigenous rights and the latest party acts like the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act, injustices against First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities still exist. The causes are deep-rooted in the history of the colonial past and present discriminatory practices (Profile of Indigenous Canada, 2020). In the same vein, matters like inadequate healthcare access, increased risk of chronic illnesses, the prevalence of mental health issues along with drug abuse, disputes on eminent domain, environmental degradation, and hardship to socio-economic status are still there, thereby pointing to the difficulties and complexities confronting the Native community and its organizations.
Statistics of El Salvador
Some 600,000 el Salvados form up to 10 percent of the society and define themselves as indigenous, with the majority of them being Nahua-Pipil. The majority of these colonies are located in municipalities such as Sonsonato, Ahuachapan, Libertad, and Santa Ana. Although it has always been a Spanish one, there is still a small group of people who have been speaking Nahuat over the years. Contrastingly, although native nations were subjected to Spanish colonization, these indigenous groups do face complex social issues, with a tendency to have bigger family sizes and lower literacy rates falling to their households (Indigenous Peoples in El Salvador, n d). Unequal land distribution is still present, with a mere 5% of the indigenous population owning land and many of them being dependent on collective property over their residence. At the same time, economic deterioration from the deception of agriculture has been just one more factor that makes these people more vulnerable.
Key Global Health Indicators for Canada
Life Expectancy: Indigenous Canadians, on average, do not live as long as the non-indigenous who live in Canada ((Profile of Indigenous Canada, 2020).
Infant Mortality Rate: The Indigenous groups undergo a higher rate of child mortality.
Chronic Disease Prevalence: Indigenous nations have heavy-duty chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and respiratory illnesses.
Mental Health: Indigenous peoples in Canada have to cope with many mental health issues at higher rates than the national average, which include such disorders as depression, anxiety and suicide.
El Salvador
In El Salvador, indigenous citizens, including Lencas, Pipils, and Kakawiras, have been subject to long-standing prejudice and discrimination. This led to a loss of cultural identity and far-reaching socio-economic marginalization. According to the forecasts, Indigenous peoples account for 10%, being a very small minority. Also, there are gaps in the census as Indigenous peoples are not always properly reflected ((Indigenous Peoples in El Salvador, n d). Indigenous communities in El Salvador are challenged by poverty, lack of healthcare facilities, limited educational opportunities and land tenure insecurity. Native cultural and language loss also entails decent cultural identity and prohibits seizing the opportunity of education and employment.
Key Global Health Indicators for El Salvador
Maternal and Child Health: Indigenous folks here in El Salvador have mortality rates of mothers and children that are higher than the average population level.
Access to Clean Water and Sanitation: The ill-equipped communities of indigenous people suffer from the lack of healthy disposal of water and sanitary infrastructure, resulting in higher illness rates.
Poverty and Malnutrition: Indigenous are more prone to poverty plus malnutrition, as many of them lack access to food of higher nutritional quality and to health care services.
Education Disparities: Native American children frequently have obstacles when they are going to school, like different languages and no materials in schools ((Indigenous Peoples in El Salvador, n d).
Comparative Analysis Of Canada And Elsavado
The analysis of Canada and El Salvador contrasts show that IPs in both nations were not sheltered from the social burdens, such as land displacement, health matters and pollution to some extent. In Canada, in the case of IPs like Aamjiwnaang First Nations, industrial facilities, particularly petrochemical plants located nearby, release toxic air pollutants, thus causing high cancer rates and other respiratory diseases. The fact these IPs are reluctant to move out of their original lands because they are very emotionally attached to their cultural heritage is one of the disadvantages of deforestation. The THROWING of the Canadian government has been criticized for its inadequate action related to indigenous health concerns and land rights, as shown by UN reports on the violations of indigenous rights (Fernández‐Llamazares, 2020). On the other hand, the same case applies to the Indigenous Peoples in El Salvador with regard to being dislocated and exposed to health hazards from industrial activities, particularly mining establishments.
Nevertheless, this problem is complicated by the factors of poverty and instability being political. Hence, those are more exposed to risks. The UN has been cautioning about the abuse of natural resources in El Salvador that essentially leads to a hard life and produces social inequality among IPs. Each nation gives examples of the serious policy changes that should be enacted to remediate social, health and environmental issues of IPs. The UN has gained a critical voice in promoting justice for IPs and sustainable development.
Similarities and differences
There are similarities between El Salvadorian and Indigenous peoples of Canada regarding this nutrition issue, such as the fact that both of these communities have a higher percentage of people who are malnourished when compared to other communities. Both communities are confronted with systemic challenges of access to healthy foods, which their roots trace back to historical injustices as well as social and economic exclusion in the particular regions where they reside (Gapminder, n.d). Nonetheless, the distinct environments remain the source of the inner contradictions in the issue of malnutrition. In Canada, the Indigenous people living in the remotes/marginalized parts of the reservations often have food insecurity problems; this is due to the lack of government support, the remoteness of their places, and the loss of the traditional food systems. Nevertheless, indigenous people’s malnutrition in El Salvador is more aggravated by environmental degradation, land dispossession, and displacement, unlike that of other countries, which disturb traditional livelihoods and pave the way for poverty. Besides the differences in policies on the eradication of malnutrition, the effectiveness of these policies also differs. In reference to Canada, the endeavors to improve food security in Indigenous communities have not been undertaken smoothly, as bureaucratic challenges and insufficient funding have been the obstacles. Unlike in El Salvador, where the constitution clearly recognizes Indigenous peoples’ right to land, putting into place policies to remedy malnutrition has been more difficult in El Salvador due to the marginalization of Indigenous voices in the decision-making processes.
In relation to UN
The comparison of Indigenous peoples in Canada to The Lenca people in El Salvador addresses the theme that was enumerated in the UN’s statement as well. Through studying the socio-economic and health nuances of Indigenous people’s communities, the paper directly addresses the purported fact that Indigenous peoples remain a considerable number of the world’s impoverished. It touches on the imperative of tackling the root cause of the inequalities and moving forward with policies that prioritize the rights of Indigenous people, economic growth and the social well-being of the Indigenous people (Economic and Social Development | United Nations For Indigenous Peoples, n.d). From this analysis, the paper has met the UN’s request for both action and remedy to the Indigenous communities’ subjection to poverty globally.
Critical social theory analysis
Critical Social Theory provides a lens that helps us to see why and which health issues affect Indigenous peoples more than other population groups in Canada and El Salvador, such as malnutrition, or they are marginalized, loss of their land or their fears of being displaced. To put it into a nutshell, Critical Social Theory is trying to shed light on the structure of power relations, how the system of social inequalities operates, and which historical contexts are relevant. In this respect, the fact that colonization is the fundamental cause of indigenous inequality in health and social well-being is indisputable (Tolonen et al., 2021). The colonization has been the reason for the people from Canada and El Salvador being subjected to the losses of their ancestral ways of living and possession over the resources and the right to determine for themselves. This past heritage still determines life today if we consider the economic, social and political marginalization of Indigenous communities which took place. Among other socio-economic adverse effects women experience, neoliberal policies are believed to further deepen the roots of this inequality by promoting market-oriented approaches ahead of social welfare and environmental sustainability (Shafiee et al., 2022). The case of both countries has been different, where neoliberal agendas brought about the despoliation of the environment of the Indigenous peoples for the sake of extracting the resources, and this was carried out mostly without the necessary consultation or approval of the Indigenous communities. In addition to the fact that it plays a vital role in the destruction of the environment, it also jeopardizes the relationship between Indigenous ones and their ancestral land, which is a major issue in their resettlement. The agency of Indigenous people adheres to power structures as well, which further develops Indigenous health and social inequalities. In both Canada and El Salvador, the so-called “power structure” is represented by political and economic elite groups whose position is often not matched by the Indigenous people’s rights and well-being. The exploitation of the situation is reflected in the poor availability of resources, services, and opportunities, which makes social inequality deeper and even more evident (Gapminder, n.d.). Additionally, systemic racism and discrimination against Indigenous groups prevail in both countries; thus, these groups are still experiencing various racial injustices within healthcare systems and educational institutions integrated into the countries and the society generally. They specifically affect the health status, level of education and work opportunities of the indigenous peoples in a very harsh way.
Critical Social Theory, provided as a description for the selected health issue
In Canada and El Salvador, the industrial sectors result in land displacement and settlements for native communities that weaken their lifestyles and the health of their children. While they share culture according to their lands, their lives are subject to sensitive risks, above all, when governments abandon them, and social and economic inequalities are especially common among Indigenous people (Shafiee et al., 2022). Sound social theory exposes structural injustice and promotes systematic changes to help redress social imbalances. Critical Social Theory uncovers systemic injustices, urging systemic reforms to address underlying inequalities (Tolonen et al., 2021). In this respect, the UN, as a key actor advocating indigenous rights and environmental protection, is doing justice to core principles of social theory (Huyser et al., 2022). By promoting indigenous voices and holding entities concerned liable, the UN contributes to the establishment of equitable health outcomes and socially just criteria amid land depopulation problems.
Systemic factors such as colonization
The colonial system has become the basis for the persistence of the differences for the First Nations people. In Canada, the Indian Act of 1876 centralized the authority over Indigenous lands, which undermined the control the First Nations communities had over their lands. Thus, poverty continues to persist among them (Del Río Duque et al., 2022). The neoliberal frames of reference aggravate these problems, particularly where profiteering is more emphasized than social welfare. For instance, land grabbing in El Salvador to cater for resource extraction projects has been a major contributor to the deprivation of Indigenous communities such as the Lenca. The power structure is an amplifier for Indigenous issues, ensuring that the advantageous resource flow is in great numbers and provides concomitant opportunities to them. These structural factors intermingle one another, thus sustaining the inequalities indicated by the enduring income differentials and health inequities that the indigenous communities in the two countries share.
Nursing recommendation
The nursing policies are extremely important as they are what contribute to dealing with the Indigenous social and health disparities. Firstly, policies should prioritize improving Indian health by increasing funding for Indigenous health services and extending healthcare infrastructure to rural areas and villages (Islam, 2019). Furthermore, the intervention should integrate the socio-determinants of health through community programs that work on improving the situation of housing, education, and job resources within Indigenous communities. Moreover, enhanced cultural competency of health care providers is of grave importance to make sure people, either patients or family members, are being treated with dignity. Cultural safety education is needed for medical professionals, and the inclusion of traditional medicine into these services is required (Islam, 2019). These policy recommendations addressed the above-mentioned points. Thus, nursing played a key role in bridging the gap of Indigenous health inequities, leading to holistic well-being.
Emic and ethic
Being an insider, I have an all-consuming empathy for indigenous communities facing displacement, pollution and health problems as the environment is critical to them, and they suffer as pollution rises. Therefore, as the environment deteriorates, they suffer. Unlike those who are born and live within this community, my outsider but firsthand experience allows a critically informed analysis of the deeper societal forces that perpetuate indigenous poverty and health disparities, building upon available data and frameworks to recommend systemic change. The essence of our group task was to discuss different indigenous viewpoints on emic and etic issues that revealed the multi-faceted nature of native health concerns (Krys et al., 2022). Starting with indigenous voices, which were complemented by other perspectives, we were able to acquire a well-refined understanding of those mentioned above and emerging issues, resulting in informed policy recommendations. It was this synthesis of perspectives that really enhanced the holistic attitude with respect to tackling the health questions of marginalized indigenous populations, which mostly means the development of collaborative and culturally sensitive interventions.
Diversity is a major factor in understanding.
Such diverse team members would be the best resource for this particular decision-making process because they will bring a variety of different Indigenous perspectives, which they will then integrate to shape the policies and recommendations. The Indigenous members with emic perspectives provide unique cultural strength involving group life; data will be used for culturally responsive and community-centered projects (Andre et al., 2022). On the other hand, the etic approach can become a useful tool in an explosion, providing critical reflection, academic knowledge, and policy experience, as well as identifying institutional forces in shaping effective policy. In this way, nursing interventions and policies become more responsive and comprehensive via the inclusion of multi-dimensional views of the patients, thereby improving Native health conditions.
Comparison results are important findings of my comparative analysis.
The comparative study shows how past injustices and existing social deficiencies in Canada and El Salvador affect Indigenous health and well-being. Critical Social Theory draws attention to colonialism and neoliberalism as the playing field that does not allow the creation of a unified nation (Tolonen et al., 2021). Emic and etic perspectives complete and fill out each other. They do so by providing the necessary data to design interventions to reduce the social determinants of health. Nursing advocacy in the endeavors that directly raise Indigenous voices and equity needs to be prioritized.
References
1 “The Indigenous World 2020” https://iwgia.org/images/yearbook/2020/IWGIA_The_Indigenous_World_2020.pdf
2 “GapMinder”https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street
3 Profile of Indigenous Canada: Trends and data needs | Linking Indigenous Communities with Regional Development in Canada | OECD iLibrary. (2020). Www.oecd-Ilibrary.org.https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/e6cc8722en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/e6cc8722-en
4 Indigenous peoples in El Salvador. (n.d.). Minority Rights Group. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from https://minorityrights.org/communities/indigenous-peoples-2/#:~:text=Historical%20context
5 Fernández‐Llamazares, Á., Garteizgogeascoa, M., Basu, N., Brondizio, E. S., Cabeza, M., Martínez‐Alier, J., McElwee, P., & Reyes‐García, V. (2020). A State‐of‐the‐Art Review of Indigenous Peoples and Environmental Pollution. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management, 16(3), 324–341. https://doi.org/10.1002/ieam.4239
Krys, K., Vignoles, V. L., de Almeida, I., & Uchida, Y. (2022c). Outside the “Cultural Binary”: Understanding Why Latin American Collectivist Societies Foster Independent Selves. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(4), 1166–1187. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211029632
Andre, J., Regina Solis Miranda, Pinheiro, J. B., & Maria Imaculada Zucchi. (2022). Biodiversity Research in Central America: A Regional Comparison in Scientific Production Using Bibliometrics and Democracy Indicators. 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/frma.2022.898818
Cassiani, S. H. D. B., Lecorps, K., Rojas Cañaveral, L. K., da Silva, F. A. M., & Fitzgerald, J. (2020). Regulation of nursing practice in the Region of the Americas. Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública, 44, 1–7. https://doi.org/10.26633/rpsp.2020.93
Krys, K., Vignoles, V. L., de Almeida, I., & Uchida, Y. (2022b). Outside the “Cultural Binary”: Understanding Why Latin American Collectivist Societies Foster Independent Selves. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 17(4), 1166–1187. https://doi.org/10.1177/17456916211029632
Gapminder. (n.d.). Dollar Street – photos as data to kill country stereotypes. Www.gapminder.org. https://www.gapminder.org/dollar-street
Shafiee, M., Keshavarz, P., Lane, G., Pahwa, P., Szafron, M., Jennings, D., & Vatanparast, H. (2022). Food Security Status of Indigenous Peoples in Canada According to the Four Pillars of Food Security: A Scoping Review. Advances in Nutrition, 13(6). https://doi.org/10.1093/advances/nmac081
Morisano, D., Robinson, M., Rush, B., & Linklater, R. (2024). Conducting research with Indigenous peoples in Canada: ethical and policy considerations. Frontiers in Psychology, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1214121
Blanchet Garneau, A., Bélisle, M., Lavoie, P., & Laurent Sédillot, C. (2021). Integrating equity and social justice for indigenous peoples in undergraduate health professions education in Canada: a framework from a critical review of literature. International Journal for Equity in Health, 20(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-021-01475-6
Tolonen, H., Reinikainen, J., Koponen, P., Elonheimo, H., Palmieri, L., & Tijhuis, M. J. (2021). Cross-national comparisons of health indicators require standardized definitions and common data sources. Archives of Public Health, 79(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-021-00734-w
Islam, M. M. (2019). Social determinants of health and related inequalities: Confusion and implications. Frontiers in Public Health, 7(11), 1–4. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2019.00011
Economic and Social Development | United Nations For Indigenous Peoples. (n.d.). Www.un.org. Retrieved March 18, 2024, from https://www.un.org/development/desa/indigenouspeoples/mandated-areas1/economic-and-social-development.html#:~:text=Indigenous%20peoples%20number%20about%20370
Huyser, K. R., Yellow Horse, A. J., Collins, K. A., Fischer, J., Jessome, M. G., Ronayne, E. T., Lin, J. C., Derkson, J., & Johnson-Jennings, M. (2022). Understanding the Associations among Social Vulnerabilities, Indigenous Peoples, and COVID-19 Cases within Canadian Health Regions. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(19), 12409. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191912409
Del Río Duque, M. L., Rodríguez, T., Pérez Lora, Á. P., Löhr, K., Romero, M., Castro-Nunez, A., Sieber, S., & Bonatti, M. (2022). Understanding systemic land use dynamics in conflict-affected territories: The cases of Cesar and Caquetá, Colombia. PLOS ONE, 17(5), e0269088. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0269088
write