Human Rights and the Mapuche People

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to document and problematize the general situation of human rights and the Mapuche people in the Araucania Region in 2019, in the context of the so-called “social outbreak”. The article is structured in four sections. The first one explores the notion of human rights, its principles and its related conceptualizations. In the second section, through the analysis of several emblematic cases we come to problematize the Chilean state’s condition of indebtedness as far as human rights are concerned. Also, this section deals with the violation of cultural rights involved by the discussion of the Law of Cultural Heritage and the failed Indigenous Plebiscite. In the third section, we document and expose the human rights violations carried out by state agent in the Araucania Region, based on the reports issued by the Araucania Human Rights Institute. Finally, we undertake comparative analyse based on the conclusions and recommendations included in the reports of international agencies (Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, ACNUDH, CIDH) derived from their in situ observations during 2019, in the context of Chile’s social outbreak.