PART I

Introduction

Indigenous women have a crucial role to play in the development of Indonesia. In addition to safeguarding the archipelago’s cultural values and traditional knowledge, they play a significant role in economic resilience, social cohesion, and natural environmental preservation. However, indigenous women frequently struggle with exclusion and discrimination due to a strong patriarchal culture. This situation is exacerbated by the widespread commodification of land for large-scale private and public projects, such as palm oil plantations, industrial plantation forests, or mining, from period to period. The prevailing economic paradigm frequently harms the environment through development that devastates the ecosystem and also impedes the ability of indigenous women to secure their rights, including political rights in the form of involving women in managing natural resources such as in the consultation and decision-making process. In addition to that, the situation is worsened by the absence of laws ensuring the acknowledgment and protection of indigenous women’s rights, such as the Indigenous People Bill’s long-delayed ratification. Therefore, the aspirations of indigenous women are never accommodated.

The Neglect of Indigenous Women’s Voices in Development Projects

Research conducted by the Indigenous Women’s Association of the Archipelago (Perempuan Aman) with 1,116 indigenous women as participants and involving 31 indigenous communities in 44 villages in 2020, show that 67.4% of indigenous women have never been involved in decision-making processes regarding land and natural resources management. This is reinforced by Perempuan AMAN documentation based on Indigenous women’s experiences throughout a five-year period from 2015 to 2020.  Ninety percent of the women reported never having exercised their right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) regarding the transfer of functions that occurred in their indigenous area. For instance, during the development of a palm oil concession in Indonesia, indigenous women of the Mekar Jaya Village in East Kalimantan Province (women in a community affected by a palm oil concession) stated that they had not heard of FPIC as it was only the men who were engaged in the consultation processes.

Another illustration is how gender norms, male decision-making power, and stigma against women frequently contribute to the vulnerabilities experienced by Mentawai indigenous women in West Sumatera Province. In Mentawai culture, women are rarely involved in decision-making regarding indigenous land, whether its management or disposal. Similar findings apply to the management of indigenous forests by indigenous women in South Sumatera and Riau Province, showing that the majority of the women in the region were either non-participating or not heavily involved. Paradoxically, research shows that indigenous women contribute more than men to the preservation of natural resources, whether through educating generations regarding traditional knowledge or maintaining the continuity of life and sources of livelihood for families and communities through natural resource management.

The Multi-layered Impact of Natural Resource Conflicts on Indigenous Women

This state of affairs puts an already vulnerable population at risk of increased marginalization and maintains gender inequality. The exclusion of indigenous women from the decision-making process pertaining to their indigenous territories leaves them potential victims of exploitation by extractive industries in the context of utilizing land and natural resources. This includes being evicted from their living spaces and sources of livelihood, having the inability to reproduce their knowledge, and ending up as informal daily labourers on their land, which causes trauma due to multiple acts of violence and leads them to poverty. This is also contrary to the SDGs’ goal 5 on Gender Equality.

For instance, in Benawan Dayak custom, long-term repercussions of male asset dominance include women losing more and more land management areas, having limited access to decision-making, and being more susceptible to the risk of agrarian and natural resource conflicts.  Apart from the fact that they live in the Indigenous lands which disproportionately are the subject of conflict, especially if they contain desired natural resources. Indigenous women are still given the role of doing household work compared to those who take decision positions. Therefore, indigenous women are still a group that is more vulnerable to the risk of conflict. The vulnerability of women to become victims of conflict is also highlighted by the findings of the National Commission on Violence Against Women which show that during natural resource conflicts, indigenous women, who carry out domestic roles, are potentially exposed to chemicals, air pollution and soil destruction, making them susceptible to diseases. Furthermore, they are at risk of  losing knowledge about land or natural resource management, poverty, and other forms of gender-based violence.

Find part two of this post here.

Desi Yunitasari is a human rights and social justice enthusiast, especially in women’s and children’s rights fields. She recently completed her bachelor’s degree in law at Ganesha University of Education in Bali. 

Devi Yusvitasari is a graduate from a bachelor’s of law with a background in human rights and social justice fields, especially in women’s and children’s rights. 

Find more on this topic in the Business and Human Rights Journal.