The Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo), with support from the ILO, launched the Employers’ Guideline on Prevention and Handling the Sexual Harassment at Workplace in Jakarta on 7 December. The launch was also conducted as part of the commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence.

The Guideline is a renewal of the previous Apindo’s Guideline issued in 2012. Taking into considerations current developments and trends, the updated Guideline includes references to the new Indonesian Law No. 12/2022 on the Sexual Crime Act and the ILO Convention No. 190 (C190) on Violence and Harassment at Work as the first international treaty recognizing the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment.

In addition, the updated Guideline also incorporated key findings of the ILO’s latest survey, “Survey Report on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work in Indonesia 2022". Developed in collaboration of the Never Okay Project, an organization deals with sexual harassment at work issues, the survey reveals that Indonesian workers are still vulnerable to violence and harassment at work.

The Ministry of Women Affairs and Children Protection and the Ministry of Manpower greatly supported the launch of this renewed Guideline. The Minister of Women Affairs and Children Protection, I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, through her video message screened during the launch, applauded the effort taken by the business world to demonstrate that ending violence and harassment in the workplace is a smart investment that can yield financial benefits for companies.

Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, Deputy Chairperson of Apindo, emphasized the importance of the renewed Guideline for the business world, particularly company members of Apindo, to take actions against sexual harassment at work. “It is time for company members of Apindo to pay serious attention to sexual harassment problems occurred at work. The renewed Guideline provides practical measures that can be applied by the companies to prevent sexual violence and harassment in their work environment,” she stated.

Maria Joao Vasquez, Officer-in-charge of the ILO for Indonesia and Timor-Leste, congratulated Apindo for the issuance of the renewed Guideline. She also highlighted the relevance of the Guideline with the C190. “We are pleased that the Guideline has incorporated the recommendations of C190 on prevention and protection, law enforcement and recovery as well as guidance and training,” she said.

During the launch, a good practice from a company was presented. Tissy Anandita from Ethics & Compliance Cluster Head Department Indonesia and East Timor of Sampoerna–Philip Morris International presented example of good practice and internal policy on sexual harassment in the workplace situation. She highlighted the importance of anti-harassment policy as well as case reporting and handling mechanism at the company level.

The launch concluded with the interactive discussion from the participating companies. Various questions posed included sanctions that should be given by companies to the perpetrators, good practices on handling mechanism at the company level, how to deal with the victims who refuse to report the case and experience sharing in types of sexual harassment cases.