Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – The government has launched a guideline to prevent sexual harassment at the workplace, but many victims are still reluctant to file reports for various reasons, including the possibility of getting laid off.
The Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) launched on Thursday "A Guideline for Employers on Prevention and Management of Sexual Harassment at Work Place" that stipulates instruments for principles of equality that have been adopted by the international community.
Apindo's head of women, small and medium enterprises and gender affairs division, Nina Tursinah, said that the majority of sexual harassment victims were female workers.
She said both employers and workers were responsible for promoting appropriate behavior at the workplace. "They must recognize the consequences if they neglect unacceptable behavior," she added.
The guideline was launched at a commemoration of International Women's Day. "It [harassment] can result in lower productivity and even lost business opportunities. This is why we should eliminate this," Nina said.
According to Apindo, the number of female workers in the country increased from 38.6 million in 2006 to 42.8 million in 2008, while the number of male employees reached 69 million in 2008 compared to 67 million in 2006.
The National Commission for Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) reported that there were 119,107 cases of violence against women in 2011, of which 4.35 percent, or 5,187 cases, took place in public places, including at the workplace.
Komnas Perempuan official Ninik Rahayu said that many sexual abuse victims did not dare to file reports or sue their abusers. "Many workers even neglect it [harassment] because they are really embarrassed or afraid of getting laid off by their employers," she said on Friday.
The absence of complaint desks at work places has worsened the situation as workers have nowhere to go to file reports.
Citing data from the Manpower and Transmigration Ministry, Ninik said that 250 companies had implemented "non-discrimination" standard operating procedures. However, victims of sexual abuse at the workplace cannot fight for justice due to a lack of support and protection from their own companies.
"Gender bias against female victims is also still pervasive both during police investigations and in the courtroom. In many cases, the victims have to find witnesses and evidence themselves. It's difficult. As they are subordinates, many employees are afraid to report [abuse] to their superiors," she said.
The fact that Indonesia has ratified the UN Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Violence against Women and ILO Convention Number 111 on Discrimination is expected to raise awareness on the issue.
"It's very good. We all know that in reality we still have a lot to catch up on," said ILO deputy director Michiko Miyamoto. "The guideline is a good start to strengthen national legal framework for achieving equality. We have high expectations for Apindo to implement the guideline," she said.
Forms of sexual harassment
1. Physical abuse (unwanted physical contact that leads to sexual acts such as kissing, hugging, touching, including of certain body parts)
2. Verbal abuse (unwanted comments such as on private body parts or physical appearance, including sexual comments or jokes).
3. Non-verbal abuse (sexual body language or body movements, repeated suggestive looks, staring at certain body parts, finger signs, licking lips etc.)
4. Visual abuse (showing pornographic material such as pictures, posters, images, cartoons, screensavers etc., or sexually abusing others by sending email, short text message (SMS) or other modes of electronic communication)
5. Psychological or emotional abuse (repeated unwanted sexual advances, unwanted date requests, sexual humiliation and denunciation).
[Source: "A Guideline for Employers on Prevention and Management of Sexual Harassment at the Workplace".]