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How much do you know about important minority and indigenous events and trends of 2021?

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2021 was an eventful year for all of us, but do you know what happened in the world of minorities and indigenous peoples? Test your knowledge in our end of year quiz!

 

The Covid-19 vaccine was approved in 2021. For what other serious illness was an important vaccine for the first time officially recommended by the WHO last year?

Former Amazon employee, Christian Smalls, stands with fellow demonstrators during a protest outside of an Amazon warehouse as the outbreak of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in the Staten Island borough of New York U.S. Credit: REUTERS/Lucas Jackson.
Correct! Wrong!

Like almost all epidemics, Malaria is especially deadly to marginalised communities such as minorities and indigenous peoples as they face difficulties in accessing quality healthcare. Learn more about health equity for minorities and indigenous peoples in our 2021 report.

Which country elected its first MP with albinism last year?

Former United Nations Independent Expert on the enjoyment of human rights by persons with albinism, Ikponwosa Ero meets with members of the community. Credit: ONU Brazil 2017. Published on Wikimedia Commons under Create Commons license.
Correct! Wrong!

Overstone Kondowe was elected in the Nkhotakota district in central Malawi with 61.6 per cent of the vote. His election marks a huge achievement in a region where people with albinism are historically confronted with discrimination and violence. Learn more about the challenges people with albinism face here.

Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh is the most crowded refugee camp in the world, with a population density of 65,787 sq km in some areas – more than 11 times the most populated areas of London. The vast majority of people living there are Rohingya escaping ethnic cleansing in neighbouring Myanmar. What did the Bangladeshi authorities do in 2021 to address overcrowding?

Members of the Rohingya community gather at the Thet Kel Pyin internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Sittwe, Rakhine State, Myanmar. Myanmar's military seized power and declared a state of emergency for one year after arresting State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi and Myanmar President Win Myint in an early morning raid on 01 February 2021. Credit: EPA-EFE/NYUNT WIN.
Correct! Wrong!

As of 17 December 2021, over 19,000 people had made the move to the new camp, hoping for better living conditions. Due to the military coup which occurred in February 2021 in Myanmar, Rohingya refugees are now even more afraid to return, as violence against ethnic and religious minorities increases in the country. Read more about the situation of Myanmar’s minorities in our 2021 report.

A total of 15 environmental activists, many of them indigenous community leaders, were assassinated in Peru in 2020 and 2021. Which is the fastest-growing industry causing illegal deforestation with which these murders were associated?

Segundo Laureano Gomes, indigenous environmental rights defender and the Vice President of FENAMAD speaking at COP26 side event. Credit: Lara Domínguez/MRG.
Correct! Wrong!

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated illegal deforestation and land-grabbing globally, including in Peru, as government attention is diverted and government representatives withdraw from affected areas. This especially affects indigenous communities, who are losing land they have fought hard to protect. Read more about MRG’s work with communities to protect their right to land here.

How many people were stuck in the border region between Belarus and Poland in 2021?

A migrant stranded in the forest at the Polish-Belarusian border. Credit: Anna Maria Biniecka.
Correct! Wrong!

No exact numbers are available, but the best estimate of international observers is that 10,000-20,000 people are currently stuck in the border forests in freezing temperatures with nowhere to go. Read more about the humanitarian crisis in MRG’s Anna Alboth’s Guardian article.

How many countries legalised same-sex marriage in 2021?

Capital Pride Parade, Washington DC, USA, 9 June 2019. Published on Flickr under Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0 by Ted Eytan.
Correct! Wrong!

Legislation to achieve marriage equality was passed in Chile and Switzerland, and will come into effect in 2022 in both countries. There are also plans to legalise it in Tokyo by mid-2022. At the same time, however, countries all over the world continue to restrict the rights of LGBTQ+ persons, such as Thailand, where a court recently denied legal recognition to transgender people, or Ghana, where a new bill would punish LGBTQ+ rights activism or education with up to ten years in prison.

How many female judges were there in Afghanistan in July 2021?

Negar holds her electoral registration card after registering to vote in the last presidential election. Out of all provinces that are providing registration sites for women, Gardez has the least participation due to security issues. Credit: Lana Slezic/PANOS.
Correct! Wrong!

Female judges in Afghanistan were responsible for adjudicating cases of gender-based violence, especially domestic violence. Following the fall of the previous Afghan government in August, Afghanistan’s legal system has collapsed, and prisons have been opened by the Taliban. Lawyers and judges, both male and female, have gone into hiding. Female lawyers and judges are especially at risk. Read more perspectives of social justice activists in Afghanistan on MRG’s website.

The Amazigh, a historically nomadic people living in the Sahel and North Africa regions, make up a significant portion of Tunisia's population, although no exact demographics are available. Yet what challenge have they particularly faced in 2021?

Still from the documentary 'La langue amazighe... entre le risque de disparition et l'espoir de victoire'. Credit: Mariam Ben Aissa.
Correct! Wrong!

Tunisia is the country where the Amazigh community faces the highest rates of forced Arabization, resulting in many young individuals living in urban areas no longer speaking their language. However, older individuals and rural communities often do not speak Arabic and have been abandoned by the central government. Learn more in our documentary.

How much do you know about important minority and indigenous events and trends of 2021?
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If you’d like to learn more take a look at our 2021 Peoples under Threat Report.

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Thumbnail photo: Indigenous women harvest paddy in Chittagong Hill Tracks in Bangladesh. Eleven indigenous communities live in the hilly lands and are dependent on Jhum crops. Jhum is the main crop for the tribal communities living in the area. Credit: Rehman Asad / Alamy.

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