International Women's Day
Eliminating the vulnerability of female workers to exploitation in the palm oil and fisheries sectors
The ILO together with the Ministry of Manpower and Sectoral Employers promotes gender equality and protection for women workers in the palm oil and fisheries sectors.
Through the various tools of regulations and guidelines, the government aims to ensure that all workers, especially female workers, can work comfortably, especially in labour-intensive industries such as plantations."
Yuli Adiratna, Director of Labour Norms Inspection Development of the Ministry of Manpower
“Women workers also bear the brunt of unpaid care work and domestic work responsibilities. Therefore, female workers have the right to receive more protection than male workers," said Yuli in an online discussion under the theme “Sectoral Dialogue: Gender Equality for Decent and Fair Work in Rural Areas” in Jakarta, on Tuesday (27/2).
The event is a collaboration between the ILO and KataData as well as Magdalene, two leading online media in the country, to commemorate the International Women's Day which falls on March 8 every year. This discussion discussed the efforts of policy makers and employment actors in promoting gender equality to ensure the achievement of decent work in rural areas.
The Indonesian palm oil industry does not turn a blind eye to protecting and placing women well when working in the palm oil plantation industry. Moreover, this concerns 16 million workers in the plantation sector, including female workers."
Sumarjono Saragih, Head of the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI)
"Through the various tools above, the government aims to ensure that all workers, especially female workers, can work comfortably, especially in labour-intensive industries such as plantations," he added.
Meanwhile, Lusiani Julia, ILO’s Programme Officer, stated that women's empowerment and promotion of gender equality are urgently needed to accelerate the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) in Indonesia. "In accordance with the SDG motto, No One Left Behind, in an affirmative and protective manner all parties must be involved, especially vulnerable groups including women in rural areas, so that their problems are visible and they also have access to be able to enjoy the benefits of development," she said.
If we look, the protection is still far from adequate, because talking about fertilization, for example, involves chemicals, but protection for female workers who do a lot of this work is still lacking and there are no, for example, routine monthly health checks or OSH tools."
Sulistri, Secretary General of the Federation of Food Beverage Tourism Restaurant and Hotel Workers' Unions (FSB Kamiparho)
"If we look, the protection is still far from adequate, because talking about fertilization, for example, involves chemicals, but protection for female workers who do a lot of this work is still lacking and there are no, for example, routine monthly health checks or OSH tools. " said Sulistri, one of the speakers together with representatives of employer’s associations from the palm oil and fisheries sectors.
However, Sumarjono Saragih, Head of the Indonesian Palm Oil Entrepreneurs Association (GAPKI) for Employment Division, emphasized that the palm oil plantation industry is committed to protecting female workers. For this reason, GAPKI has prepared a Guideline on the Protection of Women Workers on Palm Oil Plantations, which is in line with the sustainable palm oil movement which prioritizes the rights of women workers on palm oil plantations.
“The Indonesian palm oil industry does not turn a blind eye to protecting and placing women well when working in the palm oil plantation industry. Moreover, this concerns 16 million workers in the plantation sector, including female workers," said Sumarjono.
Agreeing with GAPKI, Chairwoman of the Indonesian Pole and Line and Handline Fisheries Association, Janti Djuari, stated that women play an important role in managing natural resources, including in the fisheries sector. Therefore, the aspect of women's protection is an important focus, considering that female workers in the fisheries sector are vulnerable to exploitation.
"So it is necessary to carry out educational programs, especially for female workers who work in the fisheries sector. They generally come from villages or from peripheral areas and have minimal understanding of gender equality and work rights," said Janti.
For more information, please contact:
Gita LinggaILO Senior Communication Officer
Email: gita@ilo.org
Adelin Alexandra
ILO Workers’ Rights Project Officer
Email: alexandra@ilo.org