Gender-sensitive labour inspectors promote a workplace free from violence and harassment

As a follow-up to the recently published guideline on labour inspection to prevent and handle discrimination, harassment and sexual violence in the workplace, the ILO’s Workers Rights in Rural Sectors project and Better Work Indonesia (BWI), a partnership programme of the ILO and International Finance Cooperation (IFC), conducted a training for 20 labour inspectors to enhance their knowledge on gender concept and protection against discrimination, harassment and sexual harassment with a focus in the labour-intensive sector such as palm oil and fish processing.

During the two-day training held from 29-30 November in Jakarta, the participating labour inspectors learnt about gender bias, types of discrimination, sexual violence and harassment that often occur in the workplace and mechanisms that victims can use to report cases. They also learnt approaches to prevent and address the issues as well as enable them to have the victim’s perspective in handling reports of sexual violence in the workplace.

I really appreciate the ILO’s effort to conduct this training as up to now labour inspectors have never been trained on the techniques to handle cases of sexual harassment and violence in the workplace. The workshop is useful and easy to follow with competent facilitators."

Erny Tumundo, Functional Expert from the North Sulawesi Provincial Office

For majority of the participants, the training represented a valuable opportunity to learn and enforce the employment law on sexual violence in the workplace, in particular the Ministerial Decree No. 88/2023 on Guidelines for the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence in the Workplace, and to realize a respectful workplace through a gender perspective lens in labour inspection.

In addition, the training provided a venue for the participants to share their experiences in the field on gender roles in the palm oil and fish processing sector. They admitted that cultural norms and values still weaken the position of women employment, causing discriminatory practices at work.

“I really appreciate the ILO’s effort to conduct this training as up to now labour inspectors have never been trained on the techniques to handle cases of sexual harassment and violence in the workplace. The workshop is useful and easy to follow with competent facilitators. I will ensure to share and socialise the materials to fellow labour inspectors in North Sulawesi province,” expressed Erny Tumundo, Functional Expert from the North Sulawesi Provincial Office.

“We learn a lot of important topics in this two-day workshop that help us to have better awareness in gender issues and to have a new mindset to overcome gender biases that often subconscious. I hope there will be a continued training with simulation in the field,” said Merry Maulana, labour inspector from Riau province.

We learn a lot of important topics in this two-day workshop that help us to have better awareness in gender issues and to have a new mindset to overcome gender biases that often subconscious."

Merry Maulana, labour inspector from Riau province

The training concluded with an agreement about the importance of gender mainstreaming and the equal involvement of both men and women at work by taking into considerations their specific needs and interests.

Furthermore, recognizing the existence of gender inequality, particularly within the palm oil sector, Januar Rustandie, Project Coordinator for the ILO’s Workers Rights project stated that the ILO would continue ensuring women workers to have a greater access to training programmes on social dialogue, occupational safety and health (OSH) and gender equality that, in turn, would lead to decent employment.

The participating labour inspectors represented seven provinces in the country: Jakarta, Banten, West Java, Riau, East Kalimantan, Maluku and North Sulawesi.