Building safer workplaces: Indonesia’s footwear sector commits to gender based violence and harassment prevention

JAKARTA, Indonesia (ILO News) - As one of the world’s top ten footwear producers, Indonesia employs around 960,000 workers directly and up to 1.3 million indirectly, with women accounting for between 60 and 80 per cent of the workforce. To help ensure safe and respectful workplaces free from gender‑based violence and harassment (GBVH), five footwear companies signed a Company Commitment Statement in Jakarta on 4 December. The signing took place in conjunction with the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender‑Based Violence campaign.

The commitment follows a 2022 International Labour Organization (ILO) survey revealing that more than 70 per cent of workers in Indonesia have experienced or been subjected to some form of violence or harassment at work. The initiative is supported by the ILO’s Realizing Trade Gains Free from Gender Discrimination and Child Labour (RealGains) project, funded by the Government of Canada, and the Better Work Indonesia (BWI) programme, a joint initiative of the ILO and the International Finance Corporation (IFC), implemented in collaboration with the Kemitraan Kerja Foundation (KKF), an Indonesian organization promoting decent work and responsible business practices in the garment and manufacturing sectors.

© ILO

© ILO

The signing ceremony also marked the launch of a kick‑off workshop introducing a digital micro‑learning programme delivered through WhatsApp and designed to provide practical tools for preventing and addressing GBVH. The programme will be rolled out across the five participating footwear companies – PT Forever One International, PT Gold Emperor Dua, PT Horn Ming Indonesia, PT Long Rich Indonesia and PT Rubber Pan Java – reaching approximately 35,000 workers, 60 per cent of whom are women. The event was also part of the global 16 Days of Activism against Gender‑Based Violence campaign.

By signing the commitment, the five pilot companies signalled their readiness to participate fully in the programme’s activities, which include baseline assessments, training sessions, dissemination of digital micro learning programme, workshops and follow‑up actions scheduled from November 2025 to July 2026. The commitment also reflects the companies’ intention to strengthen GBVH prevention policies, procedures, and reporting mechanisms, and to support the active role of the Sexual Harassment Prevention and Handling Taskforce.

In a sector dominated by women workers, promoting gender equality and preventing harassment in Indonesia’s footwear industry is essential for worker safety, business credibility and economic development.

Dede Sudono, ILO Coordinator for the RealGains Project in Indonesia

Dede Sudono, ILO Coordinator for the RealGains Project in Indonesia, noted that the pilot aligns closely with the project’s core objectives. The three‑year initiative focuses on eliminating gender‑based discrimination and child labour in three key Indonesian export sectors: footwear, palm oil and lithium battery production. “In a sector dominated by women workers, promoting gender equality and preventing harassment in Indonesia’s footwear industry is essential for worker safety, business credibility and economic development,” Dede said.

During the discussion, Pipit Savitri, National Project Coordinator for the ILO’s BWI Programme, highlighted that the initiative builds on the Respectful Workplace Programme (RWP), which has been implemented since 2018 as respond to the underreported cases of GBVH. To date, 140 BWI participating companies have established Respect Teams in their factories in which 80 out of those has transformed into task force as mandated by Manpower Ministerial Decree No. 88 of 2023 concerning Guidelines for the Prevention and Handling of Sexual Violence in the Workplace.

“Our RWP programme has received strong support from international buyers and through this pilot we aim to further strengthen the capacity of Respect Teams in line with the government’s programme on preventing sexual harassment in the workplace,” Pipit explained.

© ILO

© ILO

Emphasizing the commitment of international buyers to prevent and eliminate GBVH, particularly at New Balance, Ivy Lu, Manager, Strategic Development Responsible Leadership stated: “This is also a learning journey for us, but it is important to take action before GBVH escalates. Over the next two years, the footwear sector will work hand in hand to build the capacity of management, workers and suppliers to establish safe and reliable reporting mechanisms.”

From the company’s perspective, Salamah, Head of the Production Unit and a member of the Task Force on Preventing and Handling Sexual Harassment at PT Horn Ming Indonesia, shared experiences from the factory, noting that verbal harassment had been a common issue, often arising from communication challenges in noisy environments. “Our task force responds quickly to these and other harassment‑related concerns. We have also widely promoted the importance of a safe working environment and hope this programme further strengthens the task force’s capacity not only to educate but also to reinforce preventive measures,” she said.

Over the next two years, the footwear sector will work hand in hand to build the capacity of management, workers and suppliers to establish safe and reliable reporting mechanisms.

Ivy Lu, Manager, Strategic Development Responsible Leadership of New Balance