JAKARTA: Several Indonesian ministries are banning pregnant, disabled, or LGBT job hunters in favour of what one called "normal" applicants, the Ombudsman said Friday (Nov 22). The report comes as the world's biggest Muslim majority country takes applications from millions of candidates who are applying for some 200,000 civil-service jobs nationwide. Indonesia, a Southeast Asian archipelago of some 260 million, has seen a jump in discrimination against gay and transgender people in recent years - while sexism in the workplace is also prevalent.

On Friday, Ombudsman Indonesia commissioner Ninik Rahayu said an investigation found that the defence and trade ministries as well as the Attorney General's Office (AGO) were discriminating against candidates in their job advertisements.

"The Defense Ministry prohibits pregnant women from applying for a job, while the AGO and the trade ministry ban transgender people," Ninik told AFP. "(The AGO) even made a hurtful statement that said 'we only accept normal people'," she added.

"Banning people from applying for a job simply because they are transgender is not acceptable and is a violation of human rights," she added. Read more via AFP