Indonesia Passes Law Protecting Domestic Workers

In Jakarta, Indonesia, House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani approved the Domestic Workers Protection Law after decades of advocacy. Suranti, a domestic worker from Bogor, and Ajeng Astuti of South Jakarta celebrated the passage, expressing relief after years of campaigning for legal protections. The new law recognizes domestic workers as formal employees and regulates wages, working hours, and agency oversight.

The National Network for Domestic Workers Advocacy notes the law includes provisions for dispute mediation involving local community leaders. Experts at the National Research and Innovation Agency caution that clear implementation through technical regulations will determine the law’s effectiveness. Before this law, roughly 8 million Indonesian domestic workers lacked specific legal protection, leaving them vulnerable to abuse—the Sapulidi Domestic Workers’ Union reported 1,103 violence reports in 2023 alone.

Despite the progress, concerns remain about ambiguous language regarding working hours and the capacity of neighborhood leaders to effectively oversee labor practices. The government has one year to draft implementing regulations and address these challenges.