Care Work Must Be Recognized, Domestic Workers Protection Bill Must Be Passed Immediately

Commemorating International Domestic Workers Day 2025 

“Care Work Must Be Recognized, Domestic Workers Protection Bill Must Be Passed Immediately” 

Jakarta, June 16, 2025 

The National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) reiterates the importance of immediately passing the Domestic Workers Protection Bill (RUU PPRT), which has been delayed for more than two decades. Domestic workers (PRT) support not only domestic life but also the social system in society. Furthermore, domestic workers are skilled women workers who carry out care work and make a vital contribution to families and the nation. Therefore, the recognition and protection of domestic workers in their right to decent work must not be delayed any longer. 

Komnas Perempuan Commissioner Yuni Asriyanti emphasized, “Domestic workers play a vital role in providing care for families, children, the elderly, and those requiring long-term support in the domestic sphere. Domestic workers enable many women to participate in the public sphere because they perform care work within the home.” 

Care work performed by domestic workers is an integral part of the care economy, namely work that sustains daily life, ensures the continuity of the household, supports women's participation in the labor market, and sustains the social system as a whole. 

In the Roadmap for Care Economy in Indonesia prepared by the government, there are seven priority issues, three of which are highly relevant to strengthening the recognition and protection of domestic workers, specifically: (1) Recognition of decent work for care workers, including domestic workers, as work that has economic and social value; (2) Implementation of social protection that includes decent work guarantees, minimum wages, as well as health and social security; (3) Provision of inclusive services for vulnerable groups, including domestic workers, to free them from violence and exploitation. Therefore, it is time for care work by domestic workers to be recognized as valuable work, which deserves protection and appreciation within the framework of gender justice and the fulfillment of human rights. 

Domestic workers are currently not yet recognized as workers with protection and rights within the labor policy framework. This lack of recognition is demonstrated by the lack of updated data on the number of domestic workers in Indonesia. Data from 2015 estimated the number at 4 million. Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data from 2021 shows that only around 150,000 domestic workers have social security benefits. 

Domestic workers remain the most vulnerable group of workers to violence, exploitation, and discrimination. According to Komnas Perempuan’s Annual Notes on Violence against Women (CATAHU) 2020–2024, at least 128 domestic workers were victims of violence. This data demonstrates the ongoing recurrence of violence against domestic workers, reflecting their position as a group of workers in an unequal employment relationship, without recognition and without guarantees of justice. 

“One of the cases documented by Komnas Perempuan shows how a domestic worker in Jakarta, a victim of human trafficking, experienced sexual violence from her first day on the job. Her case was never prosecuted and instead resolved outside the judicial system without consideration of the victim’s rights and recovery. This underscores the weakness of the protection system for domestic workers,” expressed Commissioner Irwan Setiawan. 

Commissioner Devi Rahayu highlighted that Komnas Perempuan recommends the immediate passage of the Domestic Workers Bill. The House of Representatives (DPR) and the government must expedite deliberations and ratification of the Domestic Workers Bill. This is a fundamental step in fulfilling the constitutional mandate to protect human rights and ensure social justice for all citizens. 

The passage of the Domestic Workers Bill is a concrete step towards eliminating structural injustice and ensuring that every worker is valued, protected, and recognized with dignity. No one should be left behind. Delaying the ratification of the Domestic Workers Bill will only reinforce impunity for violence against domestic workers in Indonesia. 

Contact Person: Elsa Faturahmah (081389371400)