Indonesia Passes Domestic Workers Protection Law After 22 Years

Indonesia’s parliament has passed a new law. It protects the rights of domestic workers. The bill was first introduced more than 20 years ago.

A Long-Awaited Victory

The country has about 4.2 million domestic workers. Almost 90% of them are women. Previously, they were not legally classified as workers. That has now changed.

New Rights and Protections

Workers will now receive health insurance. They will also get rest days and pensions. Placement agencies can no longer implement wage deductions. Hiring children under 18 as domestic workers is now illegal.Some workers wept upon hearing the news. One worker called it the culmination of a “22-year struggle to gain protection”.

A Difficult Journey

The Domestic Workers Protection Law was first introduced in 2004. However, it repeatedly ran into roadblocks. Discussions were stopped for years. Parliament finally brought the bill back in 2020. Now, after two decades, it has passed.