Indonesian Women Lead Protests Against Sand-Mining, Calling Men ‘Too Emotional’

In 2021, women from the Indonesian coastal village of Pasar Seluma on the southwest coast of the island of Sumatra began leading protests to oppose the arrival of a new company, PT Faminglevto Bakti Abadi, which sought to restart mining operations on their land. Villagers have witnessed the negative impacts of mining on the local population of saltwater mussels, which has been one of their main sources of income for generations, and their harvesting has been a tradition practiced by local Indigenous women for decades. Elda Nenti, a 35-year-old woman from Pasar Seluma stated, “Most of us who are from here are fishermen and women, and collectors of saltwater mussels…There has been a decrease in the mussel population. We don’t want it to go extinct, for it to no longer be a part of our village.” Pasar Seluma residents also fear that mining will exacerbate the impacts of climate change, which has already been felt and witnessed in other villages along the coast of Sumatra, such as tidal flooding and coastal erosion. In 2010, mining activities in the village ended after a conflict-filled resistance movement that led to multiple arrests. However, in 2021, when PT Faminglevto Bakti Abadi began setting up operations in the iron-sand-rich village of Pasar Seluma, the community knew they had to develop a new strategy to oppose the mining: women-led protests. “The women of Pasar Seluma who opposed the mining operations agreed to protest, deciding that the men should just stand behind us, because we don’t want a repeat of what happened in 2010,” said Nenti, referencing the arrests from the previous movement. “We don’t want the men to be arrested because they are more emotional, so it’s the women who will fight against the company.” More than 100 women in Pasar Seluma are involved in the village’s movement against mining. Their work is part of a collective effort to protect their home, as shown in the sentiments of Nevi Anggraeni, a 32-year-old woman from Pasar Seluma, who traced a direct link from the cessation of the mussel trade to a lack of household income, then to her and other domestic responsibilities like buying food and taking care of children. Nevi said the fight to oppose mining in her village will continue as long as the threat to their livelihoods remains.