Gender, human rights and water governance in Indonesia

Using a human rights lens, this chapter explores gender and water governance in Indonesia. Specifically, it outlines some of the causes and consequences of women's exclusion from water governance. The chapter contends that inadequate governance resulting from legal gaps, inadequate enforcement, overlapping mandates, and a lack of incentives and oversight facilitates the abuse of the human right to water. Women as household water managers bear the brunt of water governance that reinforces inequalities as they struggle to navigate a water insecure environment. As women's voices go unheard in water governance they face widening socio-economic inequalities, reduced opportunities and increased socio-cultural conflict. However, an alternative is possible. The chapter closes by providing examples of ways women's voices can be better included in water governance in Indonesia.