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Activists call for more female leaders
Female activists have called on women all across the country to be at the forefront of environmental movements, arguing that it is women who are affected the most from environmental degradation
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F
emale activists have called on women all across the country to be at the forefront of environmental movements, arguing that it is women who are affected the most from environmental degradation.
Siti Maimunah, a coordinator at the Network for Mining Advocacy (Jatam), said on Tuesday that it was important for women to become leaders in movements to protect the environment because they were underrepresented at the moment.
'Women's role in decision making is small while the effect [that environmental degradation has] on them is big,' she said during a media discussion at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta. 'For example, women need clean water to bathe their children and to cook.'
Polluted water also posed more risks to women as it could cause cervical cancer, added Siti.
Another example is the loss of forests in which people could extract herbal medicines to use as natural contraceptives.
'When forests are destroyed, family planning becomes more difficult [for people living around the forests] because contraceptive pills are more expensive,' Siti said.
While there are not enough women taking charge in environmental movements at the moment, some women have decided to take initiatives in protecting the environment and thus set examples for how women could contribute, according to Siti.
An example is human rights activist Eva Susanti Bande, who was jailed for leading a rally of farmers in Banggai, Central Sulawesi, in 2010, against an oil palm plantation.
'In 2010, the process of land acquisition [by the company] was so massive that it would destroy the environment, including water sources. Therefore, me and other farmers tried many things [to stop the company], including reporting them to the police. But they did nothing,' she said on Tuesday.
The company then employed the military to help them secure the land for plantation. This action triggered the rally.
'I had the chance [to escape], but I stood by [the farmers]. I chose to be with them when they were in crisis. As a result, I was arrested along with 24 farmers. But we are just one out of thousands of agrarian conflicts,' Eva said. 'That's the peak of my sadness, that the state could do such a thing to farmers, who are the backbone of the country.'
Luwuk District Court in Central Sulawesi then sentenced Eva to three-and-a-half years in prison under Article 160 of the Criminal Code (KUHP) for instigation and vandalism relating to her involvement in the rally. She was eventually granted clemency by President Joko Widodo.
While Eva urged more women to become leaders like her, she warned the public not to conflate environmental activism led by women with feminist movements. 'By linking environmental movements to gender equality issues, it will belittle the movements,' she said. 'So what I do instead is just lead. I don't need to preach about gender concepts.'
