El Salvadoran indigenous groups and representatives from Nicaraguan indigenous migrant workers met in San Salvador on March 22 to discuss discrimination against indigenous peoples, Prensa Latina reports. Among the demands made were that El Salvadoran President Antonio Saca and his government address the needs and recognize the existence of indigenous peoples and migrant workers in El Salvador. Cartarino Ortiz, a representative for the Cacahuila communitiy, called the situation "deplorable" and said that indigenous groups could not be ignored or neglected any longer. He called for the government to look at the International Labor Organization’s Article 169, which deals with indigenous labor rights. A representative for the Nicaraguan indigenous immigrants, Flor Maria Mendoza, likewise called for the government to put an end to migrant worker abuse. Earlier in March, Sra Mendoza testified about El Salvador’s record of discrimination against indigenous and migrant workers at the 68th session of the UN committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination in Geneva.
