The Unheard Voices: Empowered Women's Story in Delta
Neshma Tuladhar, Farheen Mashfiqua Malek, Nandini Sanyal, Sheikh Tawhidul Islam, Indrajit Pal
Every year, on 8th March, International Women's Day is being celebrated to highlight the achievements and contributions of women, to raise awareness about the necessity of gender parity and how we as a society can work together and strive for a better place where empowerment and equality pertains.
This blog puts the limelight on the fishing communities of the coastal areas of the Ganga Brahmaputra Meghna Delta of Bangladesh and India. Women play leadership roles in their everyday lives and compassion to bring changes in their future. The Delta area is prone to natural calamities threats of wild animals, and the delta dwellers are also deprived of basic needs like health, education, proper shelter etc. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic certainly poses an added threat to various sections of society, despite their class, race, and economic strata. The delta community depend on aquaculture, fisheries, agriculture, and tourism for their survival, which has been seriously impacted by the pandemic (Pramanik et al., 2021). Across the world, millions of people have lost their jobs, switched to different professions, joined family businesses or started looking for new opportunities. These all are now acknowledged through various social media, and the type of exposure varies in different sectors. Living Deltas Research Project also found that the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic are interacting with the existing vulnerabilities, which can be exacerbated by additional hazards such as coastal storms and cyclones in Sundarban delta areas multi-layering and cascading of the disasters.
However, among the livelihood sectors like aquacultures, agriculture, forestry, and others. Fishing is one of the most snubbed sectors to receive coverage and the people associated with it (Pramanik et al., 2021). In South Asia, this sector is heavily dependent on women's engagement in both formal and informal ways. Women are the stake of the fishing community families; their restless, boldness and spirit of never giving up make them the protagonist of their everyday lives. Livelihood decisions sometimes cost life due to the in-situ threat of the mangrove forest animals; the fisherwomen have been bound to accept the risks of wildlife encounters like tigers, crocodiles, sharks, snakes and others to make a living.
Parmita's story:
"When I was trapped in between the riverbank and tiger, I tried to save myself by climbing a tree. I patiently waited for the tiger to leave and then shouted for help. This incident has left - a strong mark on me. At present, I am very cautious about my safety and try not to put myself in any trouble. And I'm still stuck in fear after I faced the tiger one day."
Her experience of being trapped in between two extremes of the river and tiger in one of her everyday journeys made Pratima feel she almost laid on her deathbed. One interviewee shared her experience of being attacked by a tiger and bandits during her fishing trips inside the forest. They live in constant fear of fighting with nature and bandit groups for their daily survival. Accepting the risk and working is a compulsion for the fishing community, not a choice. These encounter experiences have permanently set in their minds and heart. These stories have been an eye-opener, showcasing the risks that women and the fishing community are willingly accepting to survive every day and to fulfil one's and families' stomachs and their wishes. The blog is not about the adventures of ordinary fishing women, but an everyday brawl, compromises and negotiations women living in the delta make to earn and make a living.
Difficult Choice - Life or Livelihood:
Fishing and Crab catching by women in Sundarban Delta, India (Photo: Indrajit Pal)
The hardships are no different in the Sundarbans in Bangladesh; women take fishing trips of about 5 to 7 days, sometimes accompanied by their husbands but primarily alone. The Bangladesh Forest Department (BFD) strictly monitors the fishing trips as they require permission and pass to enter the forest areas. The fees and costs depend on the number of days they travel and the variety of fishes they plan to hunt. The interviews with the fishing communities in Munshiganj of Satkhira district mention the rates of the Sada (white) fish, i.e. combination of mixed fishes to be around 450 Bangladeshi Taka (BDT), while for crab catching, the rate is approximately 350 BDT. The fishing trips are under constant patrolling of the guards, which was distinct from the Indian Sundarbans context. The fishermen and women make no specific mention of any rules and monitoring during the interview. The human-wildlife conflict is a significant issue in the Ganga Brahmaputra Meghna delta; however, the confidence and the acceptability the delta dwellers showcase of fighting the extremities for daily survival is not applauded, not discussed for introducing necessary interventions.
Difficult Choice - Life or Livelihood:
A woman collecting shrimp fry using a traditional net along the estuarine rivers
(Photo: Nandini Sanyal)
The fishing business in the Bangladesh context varies from that of India. If the fishing season does not profit the fishing community, they readily opt for loans and money borrowing and wait to repay in the next season. This practice observed in the interviewed fishing communities highlighted the chances of a debt trap and the vicious cycle of debt and poverty the fishing community might enter into. While in the Indian context, the interviews with fishing women showcase the endless lookout for opportunities and jobs by the fishing women for their living as they adapt to a diverse workforce that pays them well for fulfilling their daily errands. The lifetime risk is not limited to facing a tiger only; now and then, they also remain vigilant for crocodiles, wild fish and natural hazards like riverbank erosion. From dawn to dusk, they stay on the boat to trap crabs and fish.
Sometimes if luck does not go well, they have to remain vigilant the whole night. Women in this area deal with their harsh reality every day; every day is a day for survival, uncertain imminent, living a day in hope towards a better future. The fight with and within the water is a family tradition inherited; sometimes, it comes by marrying in the fishing community. Their children also walk down the same path. Initial observations and findings of the LDH researchers after interacting with the delta dwellers in GBM India and Bangladesh were not surprising. Challenges to access the basic social infrastructures like schools and other educational institutions followed by frequent education disruptions due to natural hazards result in high dropouts and low level of literacy; similar negligence has been noted for the health services. However, the area of child education and the opportunity related to it needed to be explored more. One of the interviews with the fishing community in the Indian Sundarbans highlighted the average income generated by the fishermen and women with an average of INR 20-30 per day, and at the end of the month with INR 7000-10000 income, women are prudently running their home along with/without their partner. Sometimes they have to return empty-handed. On top of that, the pandemic exacerbated their burden, making it even more challenging to reach the market and transfer the materials to the brokers- the third party due to lack of transportation and accessibility.
According to Anima Mondal, 'in the time of heavy rain, they emphasize catching as many fishes and crabs as possible instead of overthinking the possible wild ebb tide and landslides.' This suggests that people live in a state of earning insecurity because of the uncertainty in the availability of fish stock. Along with that, the unstable and unpredictable weather changes puts them in a dilemma of choosing life over livelihood and vice versa. The salty water of the coastal zone inhales various skin diseases that turn to severe health damages, yet the health care services in the area are rarely reachable to the fishing community; moreover, the nearest available service is an hour away.
"Staying for too long into the salty water caused me prolonged skin disease. But the treatment for the disease is also not easy for us to get as we need to travel far, sometimes we also have to wait to save the money of doctor's fees first then travel. It takes a minimum of 1.5 to 2 hours to reach the nearest health service center" - Shivaniranjan explained her grief of fighting with her disease due to lack of proper health care facilities in the area.
Upon asking the pattern of their expenditures, one fisherwoman shared how the daily earnings get invested in daily food consumption and living expenses; besides that, the money is also being managed to buy clothes for themselves, books for their children or household items. "If we can earn INR 100-200, then we can secure our groceries for ten days", explained Gouri while explaining how much savings they can count for their living.
The Living Deltas Hub project highlights the significant challenges the delta dwellers are going through. It also aims to transform policy and practice based on new approaches to understanding the livelihood and the substantial changes in the delta region. The Hub has been working to irradiate the complex, multi-layered, and multi-directional interaction between the densely inhabited delta systems' physical, biological, economic, social, cultural, historical, and political components. The Hub also aims to develop the transdisciplinary and integrative socio-ecological framework to capture changing delta trajectories, identify threats and derive co-produced solutions for better SDG outcomes. The Hub is also working to involve different relevant political and socio-cultural awareness-raising and identify impacts and critical drivers of change.
Cyclone, flashflood, wild animals, extreme weather events, tides and currently, the pandemic has escalated the sufferings and hurdles in the lives of the fishing community. International Women's Day talks about mitigating gender inequality, encourages women to stand up for their rights and celebrates their success. The women of the fishing community in the Ganga Brahmaputra Meghna delta are not out from all the success stories we hear. Instead, they can also be seen as real heroes combating their daily struggles and constantly striving to make a better and more sustainable future. Therefore, this International Women's Day, we advocate for a climate-resilient, gender equitable and sustainable society.
Note:
*The names of the interviewee have been changed in the blog to maintain confidentiality.