I am proud that Gojek as an icon of Indonesia has been proactively paying attention to the issue of sexual violence. Because the principle of zero tolerance to harassment is a principle that must be held by all players in the industryJakarta (ANTARA) - UN Women, the United Nations entity dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women, has praised Gojek's initiative, especially to create safe public spaces for women. In the "16 Days of Anti-Violence Against Women" campaign, Jamshed Kazi, UN Women Representative for ASEAN, in his written statement Tuesday, mentioned that the proactive step of Gojek who was concerned with the issue of sexual violence could be an inspiration for many parties.
"I am proud that Gojek as an icon of Indonesia has been proactively paying attention to the issue of sexual violence. Because the principle of zero tolerance to harassment is a principle that must be held by all players in the industry," Kazi said.
If given a sense of security in the public space, women could encourage better national economic growth, Kazi said at a public discussion on the campaign in Melawai, Jakarta.
"If there is a safe public space available, women can participate fully in the economic wheel and even contribute US$26 trillion, Global data states. That is as big as the Chinese economy," Kazi explained.
For this reason, if all parties provide more secure space for women, economic statistics will increase, he hoped.
"That is generally accepted. And Gojek has prioritized women's security not only because of security factors but also related to the sustainability of the company," he continued.
The same thing was expressed by the UN Resident Coordinator for the Republic of Indonesia, Anita Nirody, who praised the parties, especially the private sector which had volunteered to realize their concerns.
"Those who have volunteered to build systems and handled anti-sexual violence against women can fully participate in the urban economy," she said.
The background to Gojek's initiative in creating security for women in public spaces is security that has become the right of all people, said Gojek's Senior Manager Corporate Affairs Alvita Chen.
It also promotes Gojek's vision to bring about broad social impacts. "Women make a living with us and women users rely on our services for a more productive life," Vita said.
As a pioneer of anti-sexual violence education in the ride-hailing industry, the education module of Gojek on anti-sexual violence contained a component of witness intervention, Vita noted.
In line with the results of the study, witness intervention is an important thing that needs to be built.
"At Gojek, security solutions are made thoroughly consisting of three pillars: prevent, protect, handle. We continue to focus on prevention to create a safe culture for all in the service ecosystem," Vita said.
Pulse Lab Jakarta's research with UN Women itself was given the title "After Dark: Creating a Safe Transit for Women Traveling at Night". The research aims to understand the safety and mobility of women in urban areas, outside of Jakarta and beyond.
Field research was carried out in Medan, Semarang and Surabaya. It was intended to complement the Security Audit conducted by UN Women in Jakarta in 2017.
The Security Audit identifies risk factors that affect women's security in the public sphere.
The research focuses on the experiences of individual women from lower socio-economic classes, especially those who work on night shifts in the informal sector.
Translator: Joko Susilo, Azis K
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
Copyright © ANTARA 2019
