Women garment workers at two Indonesian factories have reported 236 instances of gender-based violence and harassment through a union-led grievance system that has resulted in 165 disciplinary sanctions, including eight terminations, according to a new progress report examining the first year of an enforceable labor agreement.

The findings, released Oct. 15, document the early results of the Central Java Agreement for Gender Justice, which covers 6,250 workers, approximately 90 percent of them women, at PT Batang Apparel Indonesia and PT Semarang Garment Indonesia. South Korean apparel manufacturer Ontide owns both factories, which produce merchandise for Fanatics and U.S. colleges and universities.

At PT Semarang Garment, a manager routinely groped women workers, while another supervisor shouted insults and demanded money and gifts. Workers at PT Batang Apparel Indonesia described similar treatment, including unwanted touching and physical intimidation. The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) documented the abuse during investigations in 2021 and 2022. After years of organizing by women workers, the factories’ unions and owner Ontide signed the Central Java Agreement in July 2024.

The agreement’s first-year results suggest that giving workers a formal role in identifying, investigating and addressing harassment can produce measurable disciplinary action. Whether those interventions have reduced the underlying prevalence of abuse remains less clear.

“Previously, victims often chose to remain silent because of social stigma and the lack of safe reporting channels,” said Finna Fitaloka, a garment worker and trainer at PT Batang Apparel Indonesia, during the report’s launch in Semarang .

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