“We particularly focus on women on the Indonesian coast, as they live in slums with low levels of education. Generally, these women are housewives with no additional income or earnings. Inadequate infrastructure does not allow these women along the coast to break free from a poverty zone.
Apart from coastal women, women in indigenous societies are also a focus, as most women in indigenous communities have a low level to no education, with a lot of them being illiterate. They also have limited access to health, sanitation, bank loans and participation in political life. Indigenous women also often face a prevalence of domestic violence.
“In a way, indigenous women are the backbone of their families and indigenous peoples, as they play an important role in preserving food security and guarding traditional and ancestral knowledge, such as preserving forests, rivers, and coasts and managing medicinal plants,” said Nukila.
In Thailand, women and girls account for nearly half of the total number of migrant workers in search of a better life. “Many women migrant workers want to elevate their economic and social lives, with good intentions to improve family life back home. They also want to be economically independent,” said Nukila.
Despite the significant roles that migrant women play, society still stigmatizes and denigrates them. We often read sad stories about domestic workers who are forced to work overtime with no days off and are subjected to physical and mental abuse and assault by their employers.
Read: Nukila Evanty: Seeking Ways To Involve Indigenous Peoples In All Aspects Of National Development
Cambodia is dealing with stateless women, who face significant consequences in daily life. Because they lack economic options, stateless women are frequently found living in chronic poverty.
The advocacy teaches decision-makers in the respective countries to expand national and regional protection of women’s human rights. “I hope I can make a difference and make things better; you don’t have to wait. Start now!” Nukila concluded. (des)
