Women Risk Their Lives at Sea
Women on the northern coast of Central Java go fishing with their husbands to help meet the financial needs of their families.
Women on the northern coast of Central Java go fishing with their husbands to help meet the financial needs of their families. In fact, the women have also become the backbone of the family. Now they are fighting for their rights as fisherwomen.
While many women are working in factories, the women on the northern coast of Demak, Central Java, chose to become fisherwomen. They fish together with their husbands, risking their lives in the middle of the ocean to support their families. Ironically, the profession of the brave women as fisherfolk has not been recognized.
It was still dark when the engine of a boat roared from the front of the house of Darwati, 34, and Musakori, 36, at Dukuh Tambak Polo, Purworejo Village, Bonang Sub-district, Demak, Friday.
For a moment, Darwati kissed her two-year-old child, who is the youngest of her children. It was a sort of a small ritual before going to sea amid the high waves and gusts of wind. "Usually, we leave to find crabs and fish at 02.00 a.m., then we return at 09:00 a.m." said Darwati. It has become her daily routine for the last three years. Although she is quite aware of the risks, it is a must for her in order to meet the financial needs of her family.
Usually they go to Kaliwungu, Kendal regency, or the waters of Jepara regency. However, that morning, they both only fished around the coast due to high winds and high waves of up to about 2.5 meters.
Darwati said they once passed a large ship whose movement produced waves as high as three meters, shaking their boat.
Darwati and Musakori work together because it takes two people to spread and pull the net in the middle of the sea. "Initially, my husband went with his friend and they shared their daily earnings. However, finding people is getting harder now as most choose to work on big boats. That’s why I also need to go to sea," said Darwati.
When the waves are friendly, they both can get more than seven kilograms of crabs, worth Rp 250,000, per day. However, when the weather is bad, they only earn Rp 50,000 per day.
For fishermen with motorboats like them, the enemy at sea is not only the weather, but also the big ships.
Darwati said they once passed a large ship whose movement produced waves as high as three meters, shaking their boat. She screamed with fear. It traumatized her and she did not go to sea for two days after that.
For the sake of family
In Dukuh Tambak Polo, there are at least 27 fisherwomen. In addition to Darwati, there is 36-year-old Izmah Islamiwati. Working at sea does not mean she can forget her household work. Before leaving at 2:00 a.m., she first prepares school clothes and breakfast for her three children. Upon returning home at 09.00 a.m., Izmah does not immediately rest, but sells her crabs to the collector, and takes the children to the madrasa.
Izmah can only rest at 19:00 so that she can get up early in the morning to return to sea. "Initially, my husband did not want me to go to sea. But if not me, who else? We need to meet our daily needs, most importantly for our children, "said Izmah. She also had an unforgettable experience while at sea.
"At that time, we drove toward a large ship that seemed to be stopping. As we got closer, we realized that the ship was moving. I immediately turned the wheel. A moment later and we might have crashed," she said.
Often, Darwati, Izmah, and a number of other fisherwomen set out together. The goal is to add lighting at sea for safety. It is also to avoid meeting with other vessels, especially ships with large fishing nets, which often destroy their smaller fishing nets.
Sometimes, these women even become the backbone of their families. Sri Umroh, 41, for example, has been forced to search for crabs around the coast for the last few years after her husband, Budi Suratno, 54, suffered from heart disease and was unable to move.
The women are fighting for their rights as fisherwomen. For example, they are demanding a fishing card like those given to fishermen.
Umroh must prepare everything herself. "Waking up at three in the morning preparing her three children for school. Around five to 10 in the morning, down the river mouth looking for crabs," she said. In a day, Umroh can get six to seven small crabs with earnings of between Rp 60,000 and Rp 70,000. From 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., she again rows the boat out looking for crabs at sea. She does it all for the sake of her family.
Seeking recognition
The women are fighting for their rights as fisherwomen. For example, they are demanding a fishing card like those given to fishermen.
With the card, a fisherman can receive insurance facilities from the Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, which runs an insurance program for fishermen. With the insurance, a fisherman can get benefits of Rp 200 million (in case of death), Rp 100 million (permanent disability) and Rp 20 million (medical costs).
Facilitated by the People\'s Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) and the Indonesian Fisherwomen Brotherhood (PPNI), since last year, 30 fisherwomen in Purworejo village, have been fighting for their rights. It all starts from the change of job title on the identity card (KTP) from "housewife" to "fisherwoman". This is the requirement to obtain a fishing card. However, their demand is turned down because of different interpretations. In a letter issued by the village head, their status was changed to "fishing worker."
The fisherwomen refuse it on the grounds that they are not laborers, but fisherfolk, just like their husbands. "I am not my husband’s employee. We are both ship owners," Izmah said. The secretary general of the PPNI, Masnu\'ah, said the women’s profession was guaranteed by Law Number 7/2016 on Protection and Empowerment of Fishermen.
"In Article 1, Paragraph 3, it is mentioned, the fisherman is any person whose livelihood is fishing. That is without any mention of men or women," she said. Kiara‘s secretary general, Susan Herawati, strongly rejected the idea of categorizing the fisherwomen’s status as fishing workers.
"Hiring a worker is based on a contract, there is a boss and subordinates. What the women do is work together to meet the needs of their families," she said.
In a dialogue with a number of representatives of fisherwomen, the village head, Purworejo Syaifullah admitted he did not mean to reject the recognition of fisherwomen, but it is related to administration.
"We are still trying to facilitate. Our assumption is that fishing workers can also get fishing cards," he said. However, Masnu\'ah said, fisherwoman status must be given because it is feared that the facilities obtained by fishermen and fishing workers are not the same, including accident protection for them.
The role of women, including in the context of coastal communities, according to Susan, cannot be ignored. Unfortunately, so far, patriarchal culture is still rooted from upstream to downstream, from local to national. "The mindset must be changed, starting from giving recognition to the fisherwomen," said Susan.