More than 260 labour inspectors of the Ministry of Manpower nationwide participated offline and online at the one-day workshop on the Prevention of Violence and Harassment in the Workplace held in Jakarta on 1 February. Organized by the ILO through its Improving Workers’ Rights in Indonesian Rural Sectors with a focus on Women Project, the workshop aimed to raise the labour inspectors’ awareness on issues related to discrimination, harassment and violence and mainstream gender responsive approach into the labour inspection procedures and processes.

Januar Rustandie, the ILO’s Project Manager for Workers’ Rights in Rural Sectors, stated that the ILO’s Centenary Declaration on the Future of Work has considered labour administration and labour inspection as important institutions of work for promotion, supervision and implementation of labour laws and occupational safety and health (OSH) measures as well as for the improvement of working condition for all workers, including workers in rural sectors.

“Labour inspectors play a key role for ensuring good governance in the world of work and upholding workers’ rights, including the right to be free from violence and harassment at work. Thus, it is important for labour inspectors to have adequate knowledge and capacity on issues related to violence and harassment, including the ILO Convention No. 190 (C190) so that they can address harassment and discrimination cases and provide advises to both employers and workers about legislations concerning these issues,” stated Januar.

The workshop provided interactive exercises that engaged participants with scenarios for promoting workplaces that are free from harassment and discrimination, in addition to an exciting opportunity for labour inspectors from across the regions to discuss common challenges and map out the best approach for solutions. The participants also hoped that the workshop could be conducted in a regular basis with more case studies to increase their understanding and improve their inspection skills in dealing with issues related to harassment and discrimination at work.

Yuli Adiratna, Director of Labour Inspection Development and OSH of the Ministry of Manpower, emphasized the urgent need for labour inspectors to have a good understanding about the new Law No. 12 of 2022 on the Sexual Violence Crime Law, in addition to ILO’s C190. There are nine types of sexual harassments according to the Law No. 12, covering among others sexual harassment both physics and non-physics, sexual exploitation, sexual abuse, sexual slavery, and digital sexual harassment.

“By understanding relevant Conventions, laws and regulations, labour inspectors can transfer their knowledge through advises and knowledge-sharing to employers and workers so that they can be more gender sensitive and can urge the development of relevant policies and handling mechanisms,” said Yuli.

The workshop would be continued with a series of discussions with the Ministry of Manpower to continuously enhance the labour inspection system and labour inspectors on modern labour inspection procedures and relevant to international labour standards, including ILO’s C190 as the first international treaty to recognize the right of everyone to a world of work free from violence and harassment, including gender-based violence and harassment.