Indonesia’s parliament has passed a law to protect domestic workers, ending more than two decades of deliberations and delays.
First introduced in 2004, the bill aims to safeguard the country’s 4.2 million domestic workers, nearly 90% of whom are women, according to the Ministry of Manpower. Previously, they were not legally recognised as workers, leaving them in an informal and unregulated sector vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
Cheers erupted in the chamber as House Speaker Puan Maharani confirmed the law’s adoption during Tuesday’s plenary session.
Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas said the legislation would provide legal certainty for both workers and employers.
“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,” he told the plenary.
“For the government, this is a source of happiness because, as I recall, President Prabowo Subianto also expressed his wish for this bill to be completed,” he said, as quoted by Detik. “And thank God the leadership of the House of Representatives and all our colleagues at the Legislative Body of the House of Representatives were able to complete it. This is certainly good news for the government, as the bill has finally been realised.”
Under the new law, domestic workers are entitled to vocational education and training, as well as health and employment benefits, alongside strengthened protections from exploitation and abuse. The law also bans the employment of children under 18 as domestic workers, a practice still seen in some parts of the country.
The legislation consists of 12 chapters and 37 articles covering recruitment, working conditions, and worker protections.
Recruitment must be conducted either directly by employers or through licensed agencies, which are prohibited from deducting workers’ wages. The law also mandates oversight by central and regional governments, with community institutions encouraged to help prevent violence.
It does not set a minimum wage. Instead, the government has 12 months to establish implementing regulations, including penalties for violations and details on social security and pension schemes.
Vice Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad said further provisions would be outlined soon. “We will regulate it further through government regulations,” Dasco said, adding that lawmakers would propose state contributions to pension guarantees. He noted that criminal sanctions for abuse remain covered under existing laws.
Domestic worker Ajeng Astuti described the law as a long-awaited breakthrough. “It feels like a dream, this has been a 22-year struggle for us marginalised women to gain protection,” she said.
The Jala PRT domestic workers’ rights group called the law a “historic” milestone. “Most domestic workers are women workers who have been neglected all this time; now there is recognition and protection,” coordinator Lita Anggraini told AFP.
However, she cautioned that more work is needed. “The struggle is not over,” she said, stressing the need for public education to inform employers of their responsibilities.
Jala PRT recorded more than 3,300 cases of violence against domestic workers between 2021 and 2024, including physical and psychological abuse, economic exploitation, and human trafficking.
In one high-profile case in 2023, nine people in South Jakarta were sentenced to up to four years in prison for abusing a young domestic worker who was beaten, burned with cigarettes, and chained to a dog cage.
Bob Hasan, head of the DPR’s Legislative Body, described the law as a major step forward. “This law keeps Kartini’s spirit of empowerment alive and turns it into a beacon of protection for domestic workers,” he said, referring to national heroine RA Kartini.
The law was passed on Kartini Day, observed annually on 21st April.
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