The plight of Brazil’s indigenous groups worsens

A new report by the (Catholic) Indigenous Missionary Council tallies 1,040 deaths of indigenous children under the age of five in 2023, an increase of a quarter compared with a year earlier and the highest number since records began in 2003. Though the increase partly reflects improved access to data in often remote regions, other figures show that the plight of indigenous people is worsening. Last year 208 people were murdered, compared with 70 in 2014. Brain defects and damaged nervous systems caused by mercury poisoning from illegal mining are also becoming more common.