Indonesia Passes Law Protecting 4.2 Million Domestic Workers
Landmark legislation grants formal worker status, entitlements to vocational training, health and unemployment benefits
Quick Look
- Indonesia's parliament has passed a landmark law granting formal worker status to the country's 4.2 million domestic workers, nearly 90% of whom are women.
- The legislation, first introduced in 2004, addresses decades of informal and unregulated work that exposed workers to exploitation and abuse.
- Domestic workers will now be entitled to vocational training, health and unemployment benefits.
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Why It Matters
Indonesia's 4.2 million domestic workers were previously not legally classified as workers, forcing them into an informal and unregulated economy. This left them vulnerable to exploitation and abuse without legal recourse or protections.
The bill was first introduced in 2004 to protect the country's 4.2 million domestic workers, almost 90 per cent of them women, according to data from the Ministry of Manpower. They were previously not legally classified as workers, meaning they were forced to operate in an informal and unregulated economy, exposed to exploitation and abuse. Cheers and claps erupted from the audience as House Speaker Puan Maharani brought down the gavel during Tuesday's plenary session to indicate the law had been adopted. "The enactment of a Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers aims to provide legal certainty for both domestic workers and employers, and to prevent all forms of discrimination, exploitation, and abuse against domestic workers," Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas told the plenary. Domestic workers will now be entitled to vocational training, health and unemployment benefits.
Open Questions
- How will the law be enforced?
- What penalties will employers face for violations?
- How quickly will implementation begin?
