Durian. Indonesian Labor Minister Ida Fauziyah said clear legal basis is crucial to enforce the protection of female workers in the country and urged the House of Representatives (DPR) to prioritize the deliberation of law related to it next year.
Speaking at a public discussion on Aug.13, Fauziyah said the ministry remains committed to protect female workers from every form of violence and harassment. And a concrete legal basis, she added, would be an important key to support the effort.
After evaluation in July, DPR decided to pull out draft of Anti-Sexual Violence bill (RUU PKS) from 2020’s national legislation program’s priority list. Fauziyah hoped DPR would prioritize the bill’s deliberation next year.
“The government hopes DPR would put RUU PKS as one of priorities in next year’s deliberation period because they haven’t finalized it into law this year. This also applies to the Criminal Code bill because in this particular matter, the two bills are closely related,” she said.
Meanwhile, Fauziyah said the Labor Ministry continued to initiate discussions with various stakeholders, including labor unions and employer associations, on female worker protection.
“We all agree to eliminate discrimination, violence, and harassment towards women. Any ‘permissive’ tendency in the society should be eradicated,” she said.
According to survey conducted by the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) in 2019, women made up to 37.1 percent of workers in Indonesia at more than 46 million female workers. The survey also revealed that more than 46,000 female workers admitted to have experienced violence in workplace and more than 19,000 admitted to have experienced harassment in workplace.
The minister said the small percentage of violence and harassment compared to the whole number of female workers did not make the issue any less pressing. Therefore, every sector, including educational and religious institutions, should continue to educate public on the importance of eliminating violence and harassment against women.
