Abstract
In Sri Lanka, women play an important role in the small-scale fisheries value chain. The district of Batticaloa, on the east coast, has suffered the impacts of both war (1983–2009) and the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. Prior to these disasters, many people – both men and women – relied on fisheries-related activities for their livelihoods. In the post-war context, Batticaloa’s fish production has shown substantial growth and become increasingly competitive. Drawing on an analytical framework from the fisheries governance literature, this chapter aims to unpack women fishers’ vulnerabilities and identify barriers to social justice in the small-scale fisheries sector. Stories of three women fishers are presented to illustrate how different governance orders, designed to respond to the tsunami and the post-war situation, are exacerbating pre-existing and new vulnerabilities. The women workers in this sector lack access to resources due to their limited power and agency to negotiate, solve problems, and create new possibilities. Interactive governance is gendered, precluding the participation of women fishers.
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Notes
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This project studied fishing communities in Cambodia, India, and Sri Lanka and was funded by the Research Council of Norway.
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We thank the reviewers for their constructive comments and valuable suggestions.
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Lund, R., Azmi, F. (2022). Vulnerability and Social Justice Among Fishing Households Headed by Women in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka. In: Jentoft, S., Chuenpagdee, R., Bugeja Said, A., Isaacs, M. (eds) Blue Justice. MARE Publication Series, vol 26. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-89624-9_23
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