In the midst of the limitations caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Never Okay Project (NOP) successfully released a compilation report on the phenomenon of violence and sexual harassment that occurs in the workplace.

The idea to document and map this situation actually stemmed from a concern: there is no compatible and sufficiently relevant empirical data regarding specific practices of violence and sexual harassment in the context of the workplace over the past two years. This discrepancy has the potential to harm the welfare of workers, which in turn will impact their well-being due to the disproportionate responses from the State and employers.

Broadly speaking, this report emphasizes two main points. First, the violence and sexual harassment that occur in Indonesia within the professional landscape is a massive structural problem. The report found that there were more than 100 cases from various sectors that were successfully documented during the years 2018-2020. These figures certainly do not reflect the actual severity of the situation, but this data indicates a cycle of institutionalized violence and sexual harassment.

Second, law enforcement fails to provide substantive justice for victims of violence and sexual harassment in the workplace. This compilation report reveals a heartbreaking fact: almost all cases that have been reported to law enforcement must end even before reaching the investigation stage. Law enforcement is not sufficiently progressive in interpreting criminal complaints, using a restorative approach that does not accommodate the needs of victims, and is not sensitive enough to gender during the search for evidence. Often, this exhausting pursuit of justice becomes a new space for victims to further delve into their personal trauma.

Thus, like an iceberg phenomenon, this structural problem should indeed be addressed structurally. A serious agenda from multiple parties is needed to fill the spaces for enhancing the knowledge of workers and citizens, strengthen the quality of employers' obligations to protect, and encourage the active role of the State in providing legal certainty for victims.

Specifically, the findings of this report also urge that efforts to establish specific anti-violence and sexual harassment norms in the workplace through the ratification of ILO Convention No. 190 and its recommendations, as well as the enactment of the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence, should no longer be delayed.

Hopefully, the birth of this report can stimulate discourse in the ongoing policy-making process aimed at creating a workplace free from violence and sexual harassment.