Analysis of the Consequences of Extractive Activities and their Impact on the Human Rights of Latin American Women

Abstract

The history of the conquest of the Latin American continent was developed through a series of oppressive and repressive relationships and dynamics that are still in force today, extractivism being one of them. It is not surprising that one of the most important economic activities for the sustainability of the world economy represents the highest percentages of violence and environmental exploitation in the continent, where the economic benefits exported to the great powers are prioritized over the protection and preservation of life. It is in this context that environmentalist and feminist authors propose a series of alternatives and proposals that allow for a harmonious link between human beings, natural resources and the earth, opposing extractive and colonial activities and projects that seek individual profits at the expense of the degradation of territories and women’s bodies. This paper analyzes the consequences of extractive activities and the effects they have on the full enjoyment of women’s human rights, with the aim of making visible the different realities in Latin America, as well as recognizing and empowering the struggle of women activists in the territories, which has been minimized and largely excluded.