Fisherwomen share stories, call for support with climate emergency
School of Geography researchers, fisherwomen, policymakers and activists worked together to highlight the impacts of tidal flooding on women in Indonesia.
PhD researcher Andi Misbahul Pratiwi (School of Geography), Puspita Bahari (fisherwomen community) and Associate Professor of Gender and Climate Katie McQuaid hosted the festival “Women Weaving Movements to Respond to the Climate Crisis” in September.
The event, held in Demak Regency, aimed to raise awareness of the urgent issue of tidal flooding with the Indonesian government.
Tidal flooding has a severe impact on women, girls, older people and people with diffabilities.
The festival highlighted fisherwomen’s strength and resilience to adapt through local initiatives, positioning Puspita Bahari as an agent of change and a model for best practices.
We hope the government will take the climate crisis more seriously
Over 120 people joined including government officials, civil society organizations, human rights activists and academics.
The varied event showcased public conversations, expert panels, a poem reading, a photo exhibition, a fishing gear exhibition, dancing, a traditional market, legal aid consultations, film screenings and discussions.
Masnu’ah, Head of Puspita Bahari, explained the exhibition to the Vice Regent of Demak Regency
Gender and tidal floods
Tidal flooding on the northern coast of Java has changed from a seasonal event into an everyday disaster.
Rising global sea levels, extractive development and neglected coastal and marine ecosystems contribute to the issue.
Coastal villages have experienced erosion since the 1990s, and gradually tidal flooding has begun to submerge rice fields, roads and residents' homes.
The cumulative disasters have caused income loss and worsening health conditions for coastal communities.
Climate change, including tidal flooding, disproportionately impacts vulnerable people.
This includes women, children, people with diffabilities, older people, Indigenous communities and other groups.
I saw firsthand how women, with their diverse identities—fishers, elders, people with diffabilities—are on the frontlines, bearing the burden of the climate crisis
For example, people with diffabilities may have less access to support or accessible routes out of an emergency, while women and girls are at at increased risk of gender-based violence during disasters.
Earlier this year, Dr Desy Pirmasari and Dr Katie McQuaid launched the Kayuh Baimbai: Diffability Inclusive Disaster Preparedness Toolkit to support and empower people with diffabilities during disasters.
Masnu’ah, Head of Puspita Bahari, explained the exhibition to the Vice Regent of Demak Regency
The Puspita Bahari Movement
Puspita Bahari is a community of fisherwomen in Demak Regency. Its mission is to empower and liberate fisherwomen economically and socially.
The community emerged as an oasis amidst the patriarchal culture in coastal and fisher’s communities.
In Demak, reflecting Javanese cultural norms, women are not positioned as leaders.
Poverty and violence against women result from the cultural perspective that puts women in the role of ‘Konco Wingking’ (a companion behind) with duties like ‘Macak’ (dressing up), ‘Masak’ (cooking) and ‘Manak’ (giving birth).
These values render women's voices, positions and leadership unheard.
Amidst the tidal floods that hit coastal villages, Puspita Bahari establishes cooperatives, produces reusable menstrual pads, supports victims of gender-based violence, advocates for fisherwomen's rights and aspirations and helps flood-affected communities to adapt.
In her speech at the festival opening, the head of Puspita Bahari Masnu’ah said women in the coastal villages of Demak Regency are experiencing severe impacts of tidal flooding.
She said: "When tidal flooding occurs, women bear multiple burdens, such as cleaning the house, taking care of children, and at the same time, serving as the family’s breadwinners as fishers."
Until now, fisherwomen haven’t benefitted from social protection programmes for fishers—they're invisible in climate change policies and agendas.
"We hope the government will take the climate crisis more seriously and stop offering false solutions to the community," Masnu'ah added.
Puspita Bahari educates women and girls in Timbulsloko about menstrual hygiene and distributes reusable menstrual cloth pads
Feminist Participatory (Creative) Action Research
The festival is one outcome of Andi Misbahul Pratiwi’s Feminist Participatory Action Research (FPAR), which she conducted over 7 months on the northern coast of Java.
She collaborated with 40 fisherwomen in her research. They adopted creative methods like hand-drawing maps and body mapping, to understand the fisherwomen's experiences and agency amid the climate crisis.
Through this research, Andi positioned fisherwomen not only as research participants but also as agents of change.
The festival brings together her research findings. There, Andi and Puspita Bahari launched their illustrated book.
It’s a collection of stories about tidal floods that will empower the community to share their own experiences.
Storytelling is their way of self-advocacy and a form of everyday resistance
"During my fieldwork, I was greatly helped and inspired by the fisherwomen who were very open in sharing their stories. Storytelling is also part of their adaptation to the climate crisis; it is their way of self-advocacy and a form of everyday resistance," Andi explained.
Dr Katie McQuaid, Associate Professor of Gender and Climate, who leads the GENERATE project, explained the importance of combining action research with arts to bridge the gap between communities and policymakers.
She said: "GENERATE focuses on marginalized groups, such as refugees, people with diffabilities, older people, informal workers, women and girls, Indigenous communities, and sexual minorities, who experience layered and different impacts from the climate crisis.”
She emphasized the importance of conducting research through an intersectional lens, led by the affected communities themselves so they can represent their diverse stories and experiences.
"I had the opportunity to visit the fish auction and sinking village in Demak, and I saw firsthand how women, with their diverse identities—fishers, elders, people with diffabilities—are on the frontlines, bearing the burden of the climate crisis," Katie stated.
Fisherwomen in Timbulsloko explained their hand-drawn body maps
Building inclusive dialogue and encounters
The festival included two panel discussions related to fisherwomen and the climate crisis.
The first panel discussion, "Climate Crisis and the Livelihoods of Fisherwomen," featured Siti Darwati (a fisherwoman from Purworejo Village), Rusikah (a woman from Timbulsloko Village), the Demak Regency Environmental Agency, the Demak Regency Fisheries and Marine Agency and the People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice.
A representative from the National Commission on Disabilities joined them and highlighted the compounding impacts of climate change on women with disabilities.
The discussion revealed that tidal flooding is still not considered an urgent disaster in coastal areas, despite fisherwomen stating that it has affected every aspect of their lives, including their economy, physical and mental health, gender-based violence, and family relationships.
Social protection programmes have yet to reach fisherwomen and women with diffabilities.
The festival included two panel discussions
The second panel, titled "Gender-Based Violence and the Climate Crisis," included speakers such as Hidayah (a victim advocate from Puspita Bahari and a fisherwoman from Morodemak Village), a commissioner from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), and representatives from the Demak Regency Office of Social Affairs and Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection.
They found that tidal flooding increases the rates of violence against women and reduces access to justice for victims and their advocates.
Women's empowerment programmes have not yet incorporated the climate crisis as a key factor.
The discussions concluded with a call for urgent attention from local governments to address the impacts of the climate crisis and tidal flooding on women, emphasizing the importance of collaboration between affected communities in tackling this issue.
The festival ended with a call to the public to pay greater attention to the impact of tidal flooding and to support the initiatives of fisherwomen’s communities.
The team launched their illustrated book, a collection of stories all about tidal flooding.
The Tidal Floods book is available online. There’s a physical copy at the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures, University of Leeds.
