THE People's Coalition for Fisheries Justice (Kiara) has formed 14 fisherwomen's groups in several areas around the country. Besides enabling Indonesian fisherwomen a sense of economic self-reliance, the program is aimed at empowering them.

So far, fisherwomen have not been getting much attention from the state. Data from Kiara indicates that about 48 percent of the income of fisherfolk are derived by women doing farming or salt mining. Lamentably,