The Climate Crisis Sweeping the Livelihoods of Fisherwomen

Fishermen from Subang to Indramayu are losing their income due to weather anomalies and tidal flooding. In desperation, their families choose prostitution as an extreme escape. The excess of this climate crisis is quite large, especially for those who depend on fishing for their livelihood. Poverty then becomes the next enemy to face.

In order not to become more entangled, many fishing families are looking for shortcuts; ranging from borrowing money from pawn shops to brutal interest to match their children to local village merchants.

Bad luck falls on many coastal women, whatever their status. Tight economic conditions force them to accept consequences that might never have been imagined before. When they are young, there is a good chance that they will get married. During this time, if you are married, the threat of divorce lurks before your eyes, and later the affairs of raising the children will be delegated to the woman concerned.

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Life after divorce only guarantees heavy footprints for women living on the north Java coast. They have to face two problems at the same time: to earn money and to take care of the family. The weight of responsibility immediately increases.

Some go abroad to become migrant workers. Some try their luck in Jakarta as housekeepers. There are also those who decide to get into the sex industry, like in Patokbeusi.