Jakarta (ANTARA) - Several manpower stakeholders from the government, businesspersons, and workers declared a collective commitment to take requisite steps to prevent and handle sexual violence at the workplace.

According to a written statement from the Ministry of Manpower's Public Relations Bureau on Thursday evening, the Tripartite Declaration is held at the Jakarta Apindo DPP Office on Thursday.

This collective declaration is very important, Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah stated while giving her remarks on the Tripartite Declaration.

This is deemed crucial since the prevention of sexual violence at the workplace can be realized if there is a similar commitment and perception from industrial relation players, she explained.

Declaration is necessary to support the implementation of the latest regulation on sexual violence prevention and handling, namely Minister of Manpower Decree No. 88 of 2023 on Sexual Violence Prevention and Handling in Workplace.

The scope of the decree comprises matters related to sexual violence in the workplace, such as the efforts to prevent sexual violence in workplaces, handling and recovery of victims of sexual harassment and violence in the workplace.

It also concerns formation of the Sexual Violence in Workplace Prevention and Handling Task Force.

"This decree is expected to provide a reference point in the effort to prevent, handle, and protect victims from all forms of sexual violence and harassment in the workplace," she stated.

"It is also expected to realize a conducive, harmonic, safe, comfortable work environment free from sexual violence and harassment," she remarked.

Chairperson of the Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association (Apindo) Hariyadi B. Sukamdani noted that Apindo, as a business world platform, lauds and welcomes the issuance of the decree.

"Apindo has, for a long time, been committed to developing a safe working world free from sexual harassment and violence," he affirmed.

One of the actions that it had taken was issuing the Sexual Violence and Harassment Prevention and Handling Guideline for Entrepreneurs that had been updated.

The guideline was issued over Apindo's cooperation with the Ministry of Manpower, Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), and Jakarta International Labour Organization (ILO).

"Apindo has a principle that a workplace free from sexual harassment and violence is one of the requirements to develop an equal and non-discriminative environment," he noted.

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Translator: Andi Firdaus, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Azis Kurmala
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