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Representatives of indigenous groups in Central America participated in a hearing last week at the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to talk about the problems that face indigenous peoples in the region. Later the same day, the Global March against Child Labour and Defence for Children International (DCI), presented a report on the alarming situation of children working in the region. The first hearing was attended by representatives of the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the Central American Indigenous Council, the Center for Environmental and Social Legal Action (CALAS), and the National Coordinating Council for the Indigenous People of El Salvador (CCNIS). They reported on the economic and political context that characterises the region and positive and negative ways in which this affects them. They also explained the main problems they face in terms of health, education and access to the justice system, focusing in particular on the situation of indigenous women. They also protested against the lack of respect for the self-determination of indigenous peoples, and the mining and tourism projects which are imposed on their land without their consultation. They spoke out against the free-trade agreements and regional projects which affect their way of life, such as Plan Puebla Panama and the free-trade agreement of Central America with the United States. Finally, they referred to international initiatives to defend the human rights of indigenous people, but regretted that in spite of these, they are discriminated against in public policies, social relations and production models. They highlighted the example of countries such as El Salvador which deny the very existence of indigenous peoples. The IACHR expressed concern for the lack of access to political life for indigenous people. At the close of the hearing, the petitioners asked the Commission to prepare a regional report on the situation of indigenous people to address the most difficult issues and make relevant recommendations. In the hearing on child work, the IACHR was told that at least 17 per cent of children and young people in Central America between the ages of 5 and 17 are included in the statistics on the working population. This represents approximately 2 million under-18-year-olds. The statistics do not reflect invisible child work, such as the domestic work that children do in their own home. One million children and young people are employed in agriculture in the region, four hundred thousand work in the commercial sector, and two hundred thousand work in the manufacturing industry. Almost 70 per cent of children and young people who work in activities related to the manufacturing industry are from Guatemala and El Salvador. Child work is associated with a number of human rights violations. The petitioners stressed that this issue must be addressed from a holistic perspective which deals with poverty and exclusion from the education system, among other problems. Unfortunately, child work is perceived as a subsistence strategy, and not necessarily as a problem, due to the economic hardships that many families face. The petitioners requested that the Commission’s Rapporteur on the Rights of the Child carry out a study on national and international guidelines, on institutional reform and state investment to prevent child work and make recommendations to protect children and young people from all forms of exploitation at work.