This text uses the example of the indigenous Chagreras (peasant women) in the indigenous communities of AATICAM, Colombia, to demonstrate how global justice and care are intertwined. It is written from a non-academic perspective and experience, with a critical stance on power and, in particular, racism. It is written from the perspective of a cis-hetero migrant woman from the Global South living in the Global North. It aims to make various forms of social inequality visible, identify them, and name them. It also aims to raise awareness of paths toward global justice.
Global Perspective
Speaking from a global perspective, it's important to clarify that this is a plural position. In this case, "feminisms" in the plural. This recognizes that there is not just one current or form of action, but several. Some are active, others inactive. Others react to social changes, resist, or have aligned themselves with established power structures.
A global perspective refers to different identities and positions that global solidarity To do so, it is necessary to navigate between the dynamics presented by positions such as the Global North and the Global South. This categorization is not a geographical division, but rather a historical context. Positions are always taken between power and oppression: oppressor versus oppressed, colonized versus colonizers.
From this global perspective, it is even more complex to establish gender identities or sexual orientations, without reproducing hegemonic power relations and structures. Until now, the "mainstream" has been defined by those who have the privilege of naming and positioning themselves, as well as naming and positioning others. The global perspective reveals that heteronormativity is and has been a strategy or tool of the hegemonic power of colonialism.
In the case of a gender-equitable perspective, it is important to include the different positions and orientations, as well as pluralism. Depending on the context, territory, or community, they are defined and recognized as identities.
For example, the term "woman" or "women" refers to a person or group of people who identify as female, as well as to "girls" in the case of minors. Without questioning its legitimacy [1].
The following examples exist for the different identities:
- FLINTA: Feminine, Lesbian, Inter*, Non-binary, Transgender and Agender.
- LGTBIQ+: Lesbian, Gay, Transgender, Bisexual, Inter* [2] and Queer.
- Disidentities [3], muxes (trans women), travesti (transvestites), maricas [4] (homosexuals), and marimachxs. Identities from the territory of Abya Yala.
- Identities from the periphery: All those who remain unnamed because they have not yet been recognized or named by the mainstream. Identities from the periphery who recognize themselves as such, which in turn is a political act of resistance. Justice!
From a decolonial perspective, there are possibilities for positioning oneself or choosing who one is and identifying with different orientations. However, this raises the question of to what extent, from a global perspective, does positioning oneself with a non-binary gender orientation become a privilege?
Challenges of gender diversity using the example of the Sustainable Development Goals
Unfortunately, patriarchy remains a common denominator as the global master of oppression and the oppressed, still exercising and reproducing its power. Feminism in its plurality and diversity is a response to emancipatory action and global empowerment processes, who demands justice!
In many countries, non-binary identity is illegal. The law maintains the heteronormative two-gender order. International action plans or programs, such as the SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals) [5], aim to eliminate gender discrimination, but remain stuck in a binary gender order. Thus, they make their resources available only to a portion of their target groups, limiting or even endangering them.
The following examples show forms of explicit discrimination, represented by a female positioning. Other gender orientations are not included. It is quite possible that other forms of gender orientation and positioning are also included in these statistics. However, there are still countries on this list where non-binary forms of gender orientation are criminalized, which is done through the respective legal systems and forms of government. For this reason, it is necessary to make an appointment based on this "legality" or "legitimacy" so as not to compromise the integrity of the various people.
According to Goal 5 “Gender Equality” of the SDGs, the following sub-goal is formulated at the global level [6]: “End all forms of discrimination against women and girls everywhere."
However, discriminatory laws against women worldwide show a different reality:
- In 18 countries, husbands can legally prevent their wives from working
- In 39 countries, daughters and sons do not have the same inheritance rights
- In 49 countries there are no laws protecting women from domestic violence
- In 37 countries, rapists are not prosecuted if they are married to the raped woman or marry her later
- 63% of countries lack rape laws
- Three-quarters of the countries have not set a minimum marriage age of 18
Obviously, all non-binary identities excluded from the numbers, which further increases the numbers and cases of discrimination. It is therefore a privilege to be socially, structurally, and systematically identified, recognized, and included without endangering the physical and mental integrity of those who are able to do so. However, it also calls into question what is globally legitimate and highlights the vast gap in social inequality for different people. Justice!
Resistance and solidarity
In Western gender theories, “feminism was born white and bourgeois” [7]. It has been developed mainly by white, privileged people from the global North. In counter-reaction, there is a great emancipatory resistance from the anti-racist and decolonial stance of BiPoC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) people. Before they emancipatory process of their gender identities, they must defend themselves against the double oppression of patriarchy and colonialism.
The accompanying photo series depicts a form of resistance through the actions of indigenous chagreras (peasant women), members of indigenous communities in the AATICAM indigenous resguardo (protected area) region in southwest Colombia. This example represents a so-called "community feminism." This describes a decolonial vision of gender diversity in which feminism alludes not only to the feminine but to all diversities that existed before colonization. It also describes how communities are a social movement practice.
This photo series shows the preparation process of "Chicha Brava" with cassava. Cassava is a tuber that is easily sown, grown, and cultivated in the Amazon rainforest. Without special preparation, this tuber is toxic, harmful, and deadly for human consumption. By preparing it using the traditional knowledge of indigenous women, the high cyanide content is reduced, making it safe for human consumption.
This beverage not only has great nutritional potential but also healing properties and is used in spiritual and cultural celebrations. It is said to have healing properties against the symptoms of the COVID-19 virus.
This knowledge and know-how has been passed down from ancestors for thousands of years, from the perspective of the sexesIt is the local women who have access to this knowledge, learn it, apply it, and pass it on to other generations. Across generations, from grandmothers to girls.
In their work, the indigenous Chagreras (peasants) contribute to global and ecological justice They contribute to the food sovereignty of their communities through care work such as planting, tending, and cultivating a variety of tubers and fruits in the Chagra [9]. If these activities are carried out on a large scale, they could be seen and understood as a contribution to the renaturation of the Amazon rainforest from its ancestral practices.
The Amazon region, as an ecosystem, contributes significantly to the planet's ecological well-being. The actions of indigenous women farmers contribute to the preservation, protection, and growth of this ecosystem. At the same time, they guarantee the food sovereignty of the peoples (communities), the transmission of ancestral knowledge, and the self-governance of their territories.
The cultivation system functions in harmonious harmony with the times and cycles of nature and its spiritually ancient vision. Currently, it is exposed to various threats. Legal and illegal deforestation, pollution, and environmental changes due to climate change are all affecting the cultivation system. The cycles of rain and drought are changing.
While the countries of the Global North pollute the planet indefinitely, ecosystems like the Amazon have a global impact by cleaning the air and storing large amounts of CO2. The actions of the indigenous Chagreras (peasants) also have a global impact. But who or what remunerates this work? This type of work falls under the category of poorly paid or unpaid care work.
By publicizing what the indigenous Chagreras (peasants) are doing and making it visible, more justice can be achieved! This is a path to one day achieving just compensation. The indigenous communities demand:
The recognition of their ancestral knowledge of the management and care of the Amazon rainforest.
Financial support from governments and international initiatives for ecological, cultural, social and economic programs of local communities.
[1] It should be noted that there are contexts worldwide that are dominated by heteronormativity and it is only possible to recognize oneself in the binary.
[2] "There is no clear, agreed-upon definition of intersex and no clear delineation of which specific conditions make a person intersex." Alice D. Dreger. «Progress and Politics in the intersex rights movement, Feminist theory in action». https://www.aisia.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Dreger__Herndon_2009.pdf 23.01.2025.
[3] It refers to the diversity of genders and sexualities, to their decolonization and, for example, to the way bodies are seen or perceived.
[4] Ajata Hinojosa, Brígida Felipa. February 19, 2020. “ENCAMINAR LA LUCHA TRANS DESDE MI IDENTIDAD AYMARA”, Maricas en Movimientos Bolivia. https://maricasbolivia.wordpress.com/
[5] United Nations, 2015. “Agenda para el desarrollo sostenible, 20230”. Department of Asuntos Económicos y Sociales. Desarrollo Sostenible. Objetivo 5: Igualdad de Género. https://sdgs.un.org/goals/goal5
[6] UN Women and DESA. 2024. Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The Gender
Snapshot 2024. New York: UN-Women and DESA. https://unwomen.de/sdg-5-gleichstellung-der-geächter/
[7] Drullard, Mikaelah. 2024. “El feminismo ya fué”. ONA Editions. City of Mexico, Mexico.
[8] Guzman, Adriana. April 11, 2024. “Adriana Guzmán, Indigenous Aymara woman: 'Eurocentric feminism has a paternalistic gaze, it perceives us as an anecdote, something exotic'. El Pais, Madrid. https://english.elpais.com/society/2024-04-10/adriana-guzman-indigenous-aymara-woman-eurocentric-feminism-has-a-paternalistic-gaze-it-perceives-us-an-anecdote-something-exotic.html
[9] Chagra is the name given to a forest area used by indigenous peoples for planting, agriculture, and forest management. It is the source of their food sovereignty. Collective knowledge of indigenous communities in the AATICAM region.
© 2025. This work is openly licensed via CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED
Funded by the European Union. However, the views and opinions expressed are solely those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Education and Culture Executive Agency (EACEA). Neither the European Union nor the EACEA can be held responsible for them.
