Indonesia's Parliament Passes Law Granting Rights to Domestic Workers After Decades

Indonesia's parliament passed a law to protect the rights of domestic workers, marking the end of a process that began more than 20 years ago. The BBC reported that the Domestic Workers Protection Law was first introduced in 2004, but discussions on the bill were stopped for years before being brought up again in parliament in 2020.

Regulators now have one year to draft detailed implementation policies for the law.

2 million domestic workers, with almost 90% of them being women. Many domestic workers in Indonesia were employed informally without any legal contract, and some enter the profession from as young as 12. Domestic workers in Indonesia were previously not legally classified as workers.

The law entitles domestic workers to health insurance, rest days, and pensions. Placement agencies will no longer be allowed to implement wage deductions under the law. It is illegal under the law to hire children under the age of 18 as domestic workers.

The Jala PRT rights group reported more than 3,300 cases of violence against domestic workers from 2021 to 2024, including physical and psychological abuse. "It feels like a dream," Ajeng Astuti, one of the domestic workers, told BBC Indonesian. " Lita Anggraini, of the Jala PRT rights group, told news agency AFP that a public education campaign would be needed to teach employers about their responsibilities.