BWCC

Group photo of FGD participants as part of the KAPAS program/Photo: ist

Bangli - The Bali Women Crisis Centre Legal Aid Institute (LBH BWCC) held a Focus Group Discussion (FGD) titled “Legal Challenges in Gender-Based Violence and Access to Clean Water in Bali” at Apung Restaurant, Kintamani, Bangli, on Friday, August 15, 2025.

The FGD, part of the KAPAS Program (Water Campaign and Advocacy for Women’s Empowerment in Bali), brought together various stakeholders, including village government officials, law enforcement, lawyers, civil society organizations, and survivor communities.

“The goal is to identify challenges, share best practices, and formulate gender-responsive policy recommendations that also support environmental justice,” said LBH BWCC Director, Ni Nengah Budawati, who initiated the event.

Budawati emphasized the importance of the link between gender justice and the right to water.

“Access to clean water is not merely a technical matter of infrastructure, but a fundamental human right, as well as an issue of ecological and gender justice,” she said.

The FGD served as a space for stakeholders to engage in dialogue, listen to real-life experiences from the ground, and design collective steps to ensure that legal protection for women and affected communities is truly present and tangible.

Research by LBH BWCC highlights the issue of access to clean water in the framework of just and sustainable development, the impact of water conflicts in local communities, and the challenges of law enforcement in cases of gender-based violence in water resource–vulnerable areas.

I Made Ari Pulasari, Assistant I of the Bangli Regency Regional Secretary, who represented the Regent of Bangli, explained the challenges in Bangli Regency and other regions of Bali concerning access to clean water resources amid climate change.

These challenges, he said, also stem from resource exploitation and weak governance. “We often provide support when there is a water problem, for example by deploying water tanks during a water crisis. This problem is especially vulnerable in Kintamani, because this is a highland area with very limited water sources,” he explained.

Such conditions often give rise to potential conflicts which, if not addressed promptly, can escalate into disputes both between citizens and between communities and other parties.

Within this issue, women are often in the most vulnerable position, bearing the responsibility of securing water for their families while also being exposed to risks of gender-based violence in the midst of ongoing conflicts.

A speaker from the Bangli District Attorney’s Office, Luh Putu Esty Punyantari, also highlighted the legal gap regarding women’s protection in the issue of clean water access.

“For example, the norms on water availability are currently only regulated in general terms under the Constitution. This needs to be strengthened through more detailed local regulations as a legal basis for implementation on the ground,” she said.

Esty Punyantari stressed that in efforts to mitigate the potential and escalation of water conflicts in Bangli, related agencies play a strategic role in ensuring the availability of and access to clean water for all citizens, including the most vulnerable groups.

Through this FGD, it is expected that a shared understanding and concrete steps will emerge to strengthen efforts in protecting the right to clean water and preventing gender-based violence, in pursuit of social and environmental justice in Bali.

Also present at the FGD were the Social Services, Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Agency (P3A), the Regional Children’s Forum (FAD) of Bangli Regency, the Bangli District Attorney’s Office, representatives from the Bangli Subdistrict, Bangli Regional Police Office, Kintamani District Police, as well as village officials and traditional leaders.