Artisanal fishers, including women fishers, account for 92 percent of employment in one of the villages in North Minahasa Regency, North Sulawesi: Kema III village. The village is also known as a fish supplier village for several markets in North Sulawesi, such as Kema Market, Airmadidi Market, Kauditan Market, as well as for factories in the city of Bitung.

Although act as economic drivers, many of them work in a poor working condition posed by employment informality, unsafe and unhealthy working environments lead to a high risk of occupational accidents and diseases that could lead to low productivity and more serious violations.

To support the improvement of working condition, ILO’s Improving Workers’ Rights in Rural Sector Project through a partnership with Indonesia’s Pole and Line and Handline Association (AP2HI) has conducted a programme to support local community in Kema III village addressing gender equality, decent work and women’s empowerment.

Led by Ratna Sultraini, Head of Kema III village, this programme, named “Mams Kema”, has introduced issues related to labour standards and rights, occupational safety and health (OSH) and gender equality. Consisting of 22 housewives who also work as fish sellers, they encourage greater representation, influence and economic independence for rural women workers in the fish processing sector. The also inspire women to speak up and make their voices heard.

In addition, educational and informational materials have been placed throughout the village, soaring on the anti-violence and harassment in the village and promotion of gender equality, advocating for changing stereotypes and exploring alternatives to fisheries wage labour for women-entrepreneurship.

“The programme is very positive for us as it enables women workers to gain more skills and understanding on how to work safely, while promoting equality and decent work as well as handling and processing seafood products better. This programme would also ensure safer working environment and allow women workers to get additional income that can support their daily lives,” expressed Ratna.

Mams Kema programme has started in July and will be running for three months until October 2023. In the first month, Mams Kema had mapped out the priority issues on the occupational safety such as procurement for the safety equipment for work, improvement on the slippery terrain at the holding and market area and coordination with the region health office to provide first aid training.

For the second month of September, Mams Kema has actively been advocating for male and female fishers and fish workers to have employment social security (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) and the Maritime and Fisheries Business Actor Card (Kusuka Card) that enable them to access online financial arrangement, people’s business credit and insurance.

By the end of the programme in October, Januar Rustandie, ILO’s Project Coordinator for Workers’ Rights, hoped that the programme would be able to encourage the adoption of new practices towards decent work and mainstream gender equality in all policies and practices. “The success of the programme will represent a community-driven commitment and power to drive positive change on gender equality and cultivate decent, safe, and healthy work conditions,” he said.