Indigenous women in the Philippines have “many problems,” including a lack of recognition of their ancestral land rights, so they need to be empowered in order to stand up for those rights, a human rights advocate has urged.

Angelina Baltazar – Ortiz, an Indigenous Mansaka woman from the Compostela Valley in the Philippines, was at UN headquarters for the 61st session of the Commission on the Status of Women.

She is the Program Coordinator of the Indigenous Peoples Education Program, which develops education curriculums and provides training to teachers in Indigenous communities.

Ms Baltazar – Ortiz spoke to Lucy Dean about the importance of empowering Indigenous women to be leaders.

Duration: 5’