Women farmers in Indonesia are protesting against cement companies that want to build factories. Local residents say these facilities threaten to destroy their land and pollute their waters.
The women of Kartinis of Kendeng, named after one of Indonesia’s most prominent feminists, Raden Adjeng Kartini, have stuck their feet into cement, unable to move for days, in protest of the factory planned near Kendeng Mountain.
Kendeng Mountain is a part of the Karst Mountains in West Java, containing both springs and underground rivers, as well as chalk used in the production of cement. While small companies have been mining in the area for years, larger ones are hard-pressed on setting up shop.
The state reissued the permit after the company PT Semen Indonesia said it would only mine half the area it originally wanted to. However, women activists and other environmental groups say the permit goes against the country’s Supreme Court decision. The company continues to insist that the factory will help provide jobs in the region.