Indonesian super app Gojek, which has fast become a market leader in Southeast Asia, has again demonstrated its leadership as a pioneer in the on-demand transportation services market by removing barriers from users’ daily lives – this time for its female users.
Gojek has recently been recognized for its efforts in pioneering the advancement of women’s rights with a Community and Industry Engagement award from the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women).
To mark the 10th anniversary of the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs), the UN entity has announced the winners of the inaugural UN Women 2020 Asia-Pacific WEPs Awards in local ceremonies.
The awards aim “to encourage, value and recognize the efforts of individuals and businesses that promote gender-inclusive business cultures and the achievement of gender equality in the Asia-Pacific, guided by the WEPs”. The WEPs awards recognizes one winner and two honorable mentions for each category in 39 countries, who are selected by an independent panel of judges comprising experts on gender equality in business.
It is timely that Gojek has been honored this year for championing gender equality through its dedicated outreach efforts, considering that the decacorn also marked its 10th anniversary just last month. Gojek is also the only technology company providing ride-hailing services among the region’s winners.
As Indonesia’s winner in the Community and Industry Engagement category, Gojek will be representing the country at the upcoming regional awards ceremony on Dec. 15 in Bangkok, Thailand.
Gojek won the award for its #AmanBersamaGojek (#SafeWithGojek) gender-focused initiative on creating a safe culture in public spaces and raising the safety standards of digital platforms, particularly ride-hailing services, for female customers and partners. The initiative aims to protect its female driver partners and passengers under three pillars: technology, protection and education.
In the technology pillar, Gojek ensures the safety of its female customers and drivers through Gojek SHIELD, a series of features on its mobile application. Using an artificial intelligence (AI) system operated by a world-class cybersecurity team, Gojek SHIELD strives to ensure the safety of both customers and drivers from the start of their journey, during the trip and in emergencies.
The Gojek SHIELD includes facial verification for drivers to promote accountability, anonymous phone numbers for both customers and driver partners and a trip sharing feature. It also provides an emergency button connected to Gojek’s 24-hour Customer Care and Emergency Unit, which is staffed with operators trained in victim empathy response.
In the protection and education pillars, Gojek has also made two major external efforts. One is the launch of the Safe Zone with Gojek, which provides a safe space for female drivers and passengers alike, and the other is a series of training programs on active bystander intervention it runs in collaboration with Hollaback! Jakarta, the local arm of the Hollaback! global antiharassment and empowerment movement.
An assessment of its bystander intervention training program found that 99 percent of participating drivers said the program was useful in increasing their knowledge about sexual violence and ways they can help victims.
"Through the women's #AmanBersamaGojek initiative, Gojek is demonstrating transformational steps to ensure safety in mobility and access to public spaces for women, which are very important to ensure equal access to economic opportunities, education and services,” the WEPs awards’ judges panel said in a written statement.
“Furthermore, Gojek can identify gender issues precisely and create comprehensive solutions, from visuals, technology, socialization, training, direct assistance and business products adapted for female users.”
In conclusion, the statement said: “Gojek also has measurement metrics and documentation to report the progress of its initiatives. This initiative is certainly a creative and comprehensive response, as well as actively invites other players in the industry to invest and do something about gender equality issues.”
While striving to create an inclusive environment for its customers, driver partners and female entrepreneurs in the ecosystem, Gojek ensures that all employees, regardless of gender, religion, ethnicity or socioeconomic class, have the same opportunity to build up their careers to management positions.
Gojek Chief of Corporate Affairs Nila Marita expressed her gratitude to UN Women, the European Commission as well as the panel of judges that had chosen Gojek as the Indonesian winner of the community and industry engagement award.
“Without the support of our working partners, including Hollaback! Jakarta as well as the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, we wouldn’t have been able to achieve the award. In the future, we will continue our collaboration with various parties to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment,” said Nila.
Jamshed M. Kazi, the UN Women Indonesia Country Representative and ASEAN liaison congratulated Gojek for its achievement.
“Gojek has very well deserved this award, considering the number of great initiatives that the super app has launched to ensure women’s safety in the public space. We look forward to seeing Gojek continue its focus and commitment to make gender equality come true within and without the organization,” he said.
“By doing this, Gojek can boost women’s leadership, economic empowerment as well as preventing violence against women and all genders, which are essential to the women empowerment principles,” he added.
