United Nations, May 13 (RHC)--Amazonian women from the non-profit group Land is Life organized a conference speaking out against extractive industries in Ecuador.  Indigenous feminist leaders, Gloria Ushigua and Alicia Cahuiya, spoke out about how they are resisting oil exploration on their territories.

U.N. Women, a body dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, highlighted Indigenous activists who are driving change in multiple ways in the country.  In a short documentary titled “Women's right activists in Ecuador: our stories, our lives, our work,” women of various backgrounds spoke about the history of their struggles in combating patriarchy.

One organization comprised mostly of Indigenous women, Union y Progreso, is hoping to set up a communal bank in order to help local women be financially independent.  Maria Andrade, an Indigenous leader in various organizations at the local and national level, pointed out that the Indigenous women's struggle in Ecuador is different to that of other women.  Indigenous women, she explained, struggle to gain rights to their land and face higher levels of discrimination than many non-Indigenous women in the country.