Often, Tristan’s wife, Endang, would help him so that he could meet his quota and earn his daily wages. Endang is not a worker at the company, but like other family members—including children—she lives at the plantation and becomes involved in the harvest, forced to work out of necessity.
Children of all ages also help their parents on plantations. After coming home from school, they pick up loose palm fruits, often for hours on end. Sometimes they even work during the school day or drop out of school to help their families. According to Indonesian laws and regulations, the working conditions on palm plantations are considered hazardous work for children.
At the plantation, Tristan, Endang, and others work in unsafe conditions. They use dangerous tools such as long sickles and machetes to harvest palm fruit bunches from the trees. They carry heavy loads and, without any personal protective equipment, they apply pesticides to crops and fields, which is hazardous to workers’ health.