Page 19 - FMR64_Trafficking and smuggling & Climate crisis and local communities_2020_web

FMR 64 Climate crisis and local communities 19

June 2020 www.fmreview.org/issue64

religious figures, were convinced that joining a student-run organisation. Her mother,
PPNI was contradictory to being a woman. Pasijah, supports the family income by
PPNI now comprises 16 groups from selling mangrove seedlings. Kodriyah hopes
northern Sumatra to West Timor who the government can help by undertaking
advocate for fisherwomen’s rights. Until 2017 more widespread mangrove planting and by
only men could obtain insurance – to pay building a dam so her village can be saved.
for medical treatment and in the event of Adaptation measures such as these
lives lost – but now women can get the same can help – but will not stop people from
provision. PPNI also helps to strengthen the migrating once they lose their land and homes
fishing economy through several projects multiple times. According to the International
such as providing Organization for
training in processing Migration, up to 70%
fishery products. of residents in the
Advocacy work done slums of Dhaka, the
by organisations such capital of Bangladesh,
as PPNI is important moved there as a result
because women of environmental
working in fisheries challenges. It is
and aquaculture estimated that
sectors usually have Bangladesh hosts six
lower wages, less million such migrants,
recognition, less making climate change
social and economic and environmental
protection, and causes the country’s
precarious and primary drivers of
invisible jobs. These internal migration,
factors, combined with yet little assistance is
the reality that women provided to support
in vulnerable contexts those who have
are often already been displaced.
more affected by the The Bangladeshi
impacts of climate AEER/Khoiron NGO Coastal
change than men are, Association for Social
add to the precarity Transformation
of their livelihoods Kodriyah outside her house. Trust (COAST) is
and therefore to the likelihood of strengthening its work on climate adaptation
them being forced to move. measures and has been advocating for
Kodriyah, a 17-year-old Indonesian the government to develop a national
girl, has seen the population of her village displacement policy. The government
decreasing over the last ten years, from 200 has agreed in principle to develop such
families until today when only her family a policy and the NGOs have submitted
remains. To reach her school, Kodriyah and a draft policy for their attention.
her five-year-old sibling travel by small boat, Local community responses include
paddling five kilometres to the nearest land working not only on adaptation measures but
to then continue by bicycle and bus. The also on mitigation measures. For example,
ground floor of her house is now permanently the Bangladeshi National Committee
covered by water, forcing her family to build to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources,
a platform in their own home in order to Power and Ports (NCBD) is fighting the
stay dry. To reduce the impact of sea level root causes of climate change. NCBD was
rise, her family is planting mangrove trees formed in 1998 to build the capacity of local
for which they get occasional support from communities to mount resistance to deals