The Jakarta Globe reports that women in Papua are being forced out of their homes as a result of mining expeditions led by the government. In a nation where women struggle for economic independence, Papuan women largely live from their land, and are now threatened by forced evictions. Heidi Maeka, who works for a Women’s Support Group, says that the women are at an added disadvantage because of a lack of adequate education, partly due to the remoteness of Papua:

“Many of them don’t finish school…They are unable, for instance, to write up a good proposal to start up a small business.”

Maeka and her organization plan to set up an informal school “to provide women with basic education and technical skills to sustain livelihoods.”

Women in Papua Continue to Suffer- The Jakarta Globe