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Ministry prepares decree to address sexual violence in workplaces
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Mannequins are placed outside the Senayan legislative compound in Central Jakarta on Dec. 8, 2020 in a lobbying campaign pushing for the passage of the sexual violence bill. (JP/Wendra Ajistyatama)
T
he Manpower Ministry is preparing a decree aimed at preventing and handling cases of sexual violence in workplaces, in a move to provide stronger legal protections for workers amid an increase in reported complaints of such cases in the country.
It is also expected to replace an outdated, less binding circular introduced some 10 years ago.
“With cases of sexual violence occurring in the workplace, it became necessary [to issue a decree] to eliminate all forms of sexual violence, especially against women," Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah told The Jakarta Post on Tuesday.
The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) recorded 108 reports of gender based violence, including sexual violence, in the workplace throughout last year, increasing from 64 reports in 2020.
The Women's Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, meanwhile, recorded 877 cases of violence in the workplace from 2017 to 2021, with 921 victims being working women.
Ida said the ministerial decree would stipulate mechanisms for preventing and handling cases of sexual violence in the workplace, including obligations for employers to prevent it and to form a task force to handle such cases. The document would also stipulate punishments for perpetrators, she added.
Ida said a ministerial decree would provide a more binding regulation than the circular issued in 2011, which was introduced in discussion with the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) and workers unions.
