The earthquake that struck Sigi and Donggala districts in Central Sulawesi in September 2018 did not only change the physical landscape of the region. The social order also changed because almost all residents were forced to move from their homes for safety reasons. This condition not only worsens their economic condition, but also the quality of reproductive health of women. This is exacerbated by climate change.
Mrs. Fatnur, a resident of Tompe Village, Donggala Regency, said that since she moved to a temporary shelter, access to clean water has gotten worse. Temporary shelters are places for earthquake survivors to live before being relocated to permanent housing. She has been living in the temporary shelter since the disaster destroyed her house five years ago until now.
“Yes, the first time [tinggal di huntara] was very difficult [dapat air bersih]. Water from a borehole. Almost three years [pakai sumur bor]. If you use it for bathing, it causes itching on your body. Now there is [layanan air] PDAM, if [air] PDAM does not make itchy,” said Mrs. Fatnur.
The move to the shelter also forced her to adapt to economic competition. Ms. Fatnur added that many residents who were originally farmers became fishermen due to assistance from a number of parties after the disaster. This condition makes the competition to sell fish catches tighter.
The Head of Tompe Village, Mr. Herdi, emphasized that this change in livelihood has an effect on the increase in domestic violence cases. He said that the psychological condition of husband and wife due to economic changes is suspected of triggering domestic violence.
“There was a slight presentation [kenaikan KDRT]. We can’t calculate it, but there is an increase. Because of the economy, living in poverty triggers emotions,” said Mr. Herdi.
A study conducted by the IPAS Indonesia Foundation together with Hasanuddin University in 2022-2023 found that most perpetrators of sexual violence were only punished through customary fines. There were even cases where the perpetrator was married off to the victim. This is allegedly because they do not have enough economic capacity due to climate change, although this should be avoided because it does not prioritize the welfare of the victim.
A village midwife named Misini revealed that the increase in violence cases after the earthquake was thought to be due to the housing conditions that residents lived in. “After the earthquake [kekerasan dan pernikahan anak] increased because … in tents, they gather close together,” she said.
To encourage village governments to respond to cases of sexual violence due to disasters and climate change, IPAS Indonesia Foundation in collaboration with KPKP-ST (Central Sulawesi Women’s Equality Struggle Group) conducted capacity building. This activity aims to encourage village officials to create policies to eliminate sexual and gender-based violence.
During August-December 2022, KPKPST conducted more than 10 workshops in 20 villages in Sigi and Donggala districts for village government and health workers. In addition, 1,608 adult women and men as well as adolescent girls and boys were also involved in awareness campaigns related to violence. From these activities, a number of villages have appointed village officials to become the Women and Children Protection Task Force (Satgas PPA). in fact, some villages have provided a special budget for PPA Task Force activities.
