Women get physical over 'short pants' test

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

A leading councilor expressed his concern over allegations of what was termed sexual harassment against dozens of women applying for jobs as security officers with the Jakarta administration.

Syamsidar Siregar of the National Mandate Party (PAN) faction said that what was alleged, if true, was completely unacceptable."

The Warta Kota daily reported on Tuesday that the "sexual harassment" took place during physical tests conducted as part of the recruitment process by the Jakarta Public Order Agency.

They women were seeking jobs as officers of the agency and police assistants.

The paper quoted a number of female applicants as saying that they were required to change out of their track suits into "short pants". They also said they were shocked to learn that the tests would be conducted by men instead of women.

"We would urge that such practices in the recruitment process be scrapped," Syamsidar told The Jakarta Post.

The recruiting agency could still conduct fitness tests without requiring the applicants to expose "sensitive parts" of their bodies, she added.

Male applicants are also required to undergo fitness tests. Warta Kota ran a picture of them squatting with their tops off. In all, there were 4,000 applicants for the 2,500 posts.

The Jakarta Administration denied the Warta Kota report.

"It is not true that sexual harassment took place during the selection process. The tests were conducted in line with the standard procedures," Budi Astuti, the head of the Jakarta Human Resources Department (BKD)'s selection division, told reporters.

She admitted that the physical tests, conducted by the Jakarta Military Command's physical fitness testing unit (Jasdam), required candidates to wear pants and short-sleeved shirts. The testing of women candidates should be carried out by women examiners, she added.

"The tests are conducted in a closed room. There is no physical contact as the examiners cannot get any closer than four meters from the candidates," Budi said.

Such tests are common in the police and military to ascertain candidates' overall levels of physical fitness, she said.

Jakarta administration spokesman Muhayat, backing Budi, said that fitness tests were mandatory for such positions.

"Each profession has its requirements. People who do not want to be examined should not apply," he said.

Besides the fitness tests, the candidates also had to fulfill administrative, medical and psychological requirements.