Parade of 16 fisherwomen’s boats: resisting coastal exploitation and climate crisis in Indonesia

Leeds researchers and Puspita Bahari held a coastal forum to strengthen solidarity among coastal communities in Indonesia facing the climate crisis.

To commemorate the Global Campaign of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (25 November-10 December) and Human Rights Day, researchers from the University of Leeds and Puspita Bahari, a fisherwomen’s collective in Demak Regency, held a celebration and coastal forum themed “Parade of 16 Fisherwomen’s Boats: Resisting Coastal Exploitation that Destroys Lives”, on 30th November 2025.

This event is supported by the GENERATE Project led by Dr Katie McQuaid and co-organised by Andi Misbahul Pratiwi in the School of Geography.

This event aimed to strengthen solidarity among fisherwomen and coastal communities whose living spaces and livelihoods are increasingly marginalised by coastal exploitation and the impacts of the climate crisis.

The event took place in Tambak Polo hamlet and the waters of Morodemak, Central Java, Indonesia, and was attended by 80 fisherwomen, civil society organisations, women’s organisations, and student organisations.

Fisherwomen facing layered impacts

Andi Misbahul Pratiwi’s PhD project shows that fisherwomen in coastal Demak face layered impacts from ecological degradation and extractive development.

Coastal villages are slowly sinking, tidal flooding (banjir rob) has become more frequent and widespread, and homes and livelihoods have disappeared one by one. These conditions exacerbate women’s vulnerability, including limited access to healthcare and clean water, increasing domestic violence and child marriage, and severe economic pressure.

This situation confirms that coastal destruction and the loss of livelihoods constitute forms of human rights violations against women. This situation is illustrated in the book “Tidal Floods: Women, Fisheries, and Climate Crisis in Indonesia.”  

In her statement, Masnu’ah (Chairperson of Puspita Bahari) emphasised that to this day the government remains a major actor in coastal destruction through various land conversion projects, reclamation, seabed sand mining, and massive tourism investments in the name of development and economic growth.

As a result, fishers, especially fisherwomen, must sail farther, bear higher operational costs, yet still return with ever-decreasing catches. Masnu’ah said:

“When global leaders talk about the future of the planet, fisherwomen in Indonesia are forced to face extreme weather, increasingly frequent tidal floods, scorching heat, and strong winds that endanger their safety at sea. Our hope is simple: we do not want to become victims drowned in the climate crisis. We therefore urge the state to stop extractive and exploitative coastal projects that threaten the survival of fisherwomen and future generations.”

Source: Puspita Bahari and the Department of Communication Studies, Islamic University of Indonesia (2025).

Our hope is simple: we do not want to become victims drowned in the climate crisis.

The Parade of 16 Fisherwomen’s Boats was held as a space for advocacy and movement-building among coastal women.

This is also the continuation of collaboration between researchers and fisherwomen’s communities through GENERATE Project in Indonesia since 2024.

Through this initiative, the partnership aims to amplify public understanding of how extractive development and the climate crisis disproportionately affect fisherwomen, highlighting the women’s movement in Demak as an integral part of wider women’s and human rights struggles in Indonesia, and engage with global activism to call for the prevention of gender-based violence in coastal regions.

Katie McQuaid said: “Fisherwomen of Demak are powerfully evidencing why gender justice must be at the heart of climate action. At the frontlines of the global climate crisis, they are demanding attention to, and accountability for, the systemic neglect and exploitation of coastal communities, and the myriad ways it harms women and their families. Puspita Bahari’s Parade of Fisherwomen’s Boats highlights too the key leadership of grassroots fisher- and coastal women in confronting the climate crisis and resisting the injustices that deepen its impacts.

“I am hugely proud that the GENERATE project, through its creative and feminist participatory action research approach, can support their organising, amplify their calls for an end to coastal exploitation, and ensure that their lived experience, initiatives and expertise urgently informs policy and action. Their courage, knowledge, and collective organising offer vital lessons for building inclusive, gender-just and resilient coastal futures.”

Source: Puspita Bahari and the Department of Communication Studies, Islamic University of Indonesia (2025).

Activities included coastal discussions, painting messages of hope on mini boat replicas made by fisherwomen, a brokohan tumpeng ceremony, and bancaan nasi branjangan.

Brokohan tumpeng is a Javanese thanksgiving ritual that involves presenting a tumpeng (a cone-shaped rice dish surrounded by various side dishes) as a symbol of gratitude, blessing, and collective prayer.

Traditionally, brokohan is held to mark significant events or transitions, asking for safety, harmony, and protection. Bancaan (in this context, bancaan nasi branjangan) is a communal meal where food is served on banana or other natural leaves and shared in a circle.

It reflects humility, togetherness, and respect for nature. In many Javanese coastal communities, bancaan also represents honouring the earth and the sea as sources of life,

The parade of 16 boats symbolises the connection between grassroots movements and the global 16 Days of Activism campaign, highlighting the solidarity of women worldwide in their struggle for ecological justice and freedom from violence.

We extend our sincere gratitude to all collaborators who made this parade possible: the Department of Communication Studies at the Islamic University of Indonesia, Yogyakarta; the People’s Coalition for Fisheries Justice (KIARA); LBH Semarang; the Indonesian Fisherwomen’s Sisterhood (PPNI); BARA PUAN; Jakarta Feminist; the Indonesian Legal Resource Centre (ILRC); U-INSPIRE Indonesia; and our many media partners. Their collective support and commitment were invaluable in amplifying the voices and resilience of coastal women.