Forced labour and climate change: keeping a focus on women and children

Climate change exacerbates violence against women and children

This 2023-2024 Indonesian-Australian collaboration examined policy and business responses to compelled labour and the impacts on vulnerable women and children, especially those exposed to natural disasters, exacerbated by climate change. It focused on the risks of rising sea levels, land subsidence, and tidal/sea inundation to coastal villages, the risk of forced migration that arises from land loss, and the intersection with compelled labour.

This collaboration is important for understanding and taking action as it pertains to gender equity (SDG 13), climate action and climate change (SDG 13), and forced labour to ensure decent work and economic growth (SDG 8). It has provided opportunities for researchers, business leaders, policy makers and community members to proactively collaborate with different stakeholders to undertake research and activities to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Climate change exacerbates violence against women and children. It also increases the risk of structural violence for children and young people, and increases the risk of compelled labour.

This project addressed a gap in SDG data gathering and research pertaining to climate change in coastal communities and the impacts of compelled labour of women and children. The findings have significance for climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and disaster response frameworks both in Indonesia and globally.

Our international collaborators

This 2023-2024 project was an international collaboration and joint partnership with the Badan Riset Dan Inovasi Nasional (BRIN), that is the National Research and Innovation Agency in Indonesia, and Universitas Diponegoro (UNDIP) in Indonesia. The team also worked closely with two non-government organisations: IKUPI and PATTIRO. All partners engaged in multi method data gathering, including surveys, policy scoping, interviews and round tables. Results and recommendations respond to the United Nations 2030 Agenda, and have been presented in late 2024 through stakeholder forums. The project has been funded and supported by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade KONEKSI Knowledge Partnership Platform Australia-Indonesia.

The study has been critically important for measuring performance and addressing the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Targets:

SDG 1 End Poverty in all its forms everywhere

1.5 By 2030, build the resilience of the poor and those in vulnerable situations and reduce their exposure and vulnerability to climate-related extreme events and other economic, social and environmental shocks and disasters.

SDG 5 Gender Equality

5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation.

SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth

8.7 Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms.

8.8 Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment.

SDG 11 Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

11.b By 2020, substantially increase the number of cities and human settlements adopting and implementing integrated policies and plans towards inclusion, resource efficiency, mitigation and adaptation to climate change, resilience to disasters, and develop and implement, in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030, holistic disaster risk management at all levels.

SDG 13 Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts

13.1 Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.

13.2 Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning.

SDG 17 Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalise the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development

17.16 Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilise and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries.

17.9 Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation.

Research Leads

Dr Amy Young

Project Lead and Disrupting Violence Beacon Research Fellow, Griffith University

Dr Laely Nurhidayah

Project Lead and Head of the Research Center for Law – Institute for Social Sciences and Humanities (ISSH) – the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Indonesia.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Wiwandari Handayani

Project Lead and Head of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, Faculty of Engineering. Diponegoro University, Indonesia.