Since there is no legal umbrella concerning domestic workers, there is no acknowledgment and protection for these workers, which makes them vulnerable, Theresia Iswarini noted in a press statement issued here on Thursday.
This vulnerability exposes them to acts of violence and they also do not enjoy their rights, she said.
The House of Representatives (DPR) proposed the Household Workers’ Protection Bill in 2014, but the bill has not been ratified to this day, Iswarini noted.
There has been 18 years’ worth of struggle for the ratification of the bill, but it has not yet produced any results, she remarked.
According to a survey of 4,296 workers conducted by the Domestic Workers Advocacy National Network (JALA PRT) in six cities, 89 percent of workers do not have health insurance as Fund Assistance Recipients (PBI).
Moreover, 99 percent of domestic workers do not have manpower social security.
Therefore, the commission has urged the President to instruct the government's task force to carry out synergy and strategic steps to encourage the discussion on the Domestic Workers’ Protection Bill in DPR.
In addition, it has also asked the DPR to immediately ratify the bill.
"The DPR should immediately discuss and ratify the Domestic Workers’ Protection Bill or ratify ILO's Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers to fill the legal void concerning the acknowledgment and protection of domestic workers," Iswarini said.
Earlier, in a press statement issued on Wednesday, Indonesian Women Advance (MPI) coordinator Lena Maryana Mukti had also urged the DPR to immediately ratify the Domestic Workers’ Protection Bill.
The bill’s ratification would be a form of protection for domestic workers to realize social justice and equality, she remarked.
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Translator: Anita Permata D, Fadhli Ruhman
Editor: Sri Haryati
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