Jakarta (ANTARA) - Indonesia's National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) expressed hope that the Bill on Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT) could immediately be passed into law by the House of Representatives (DPR) before its parliamentary sitting period ends.

"This is an important moment. Apart from the sitting period which ends soon, February 15, 2023 is commemorated as the National Domestic Workers' Day," Komnas HAM Chairperson Atnike Nova Sigiro said on the human rights commission's official YouTube channel on Sunday.

She said Komnas HAM and various groups of domestic workers in the country have been waiting for a good news on the deliberation of lawmakers regarding the bill.

"The deliberation of the PPRT Bill will continue to roll quickly before the sitting period ends, and we hope it will immediately be passed into law," she said again.

Sigiro said domestic workers are regarded as one of the marginalized or vulnerable groups by considering many cases reported to Komnas HAM, including unpaid wages, sexual violence, lost family identities, and missing persons.

"These all reflect the problems of domestic workers," she said, adding that those problems could happen partly due to the absence of official status as domestic workers that might have made their rights get ignored by employers.

"Komnas HAM has conducted a study related to the importance of having a law on the protection of domestic workers, and Komnas HAM also hopes that by expediting the deliberation of the Protection of Domestic Workers Bill, there will be a change in the human rights situation in Indonesia for the better," she said.

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Translator: Boyke Ledy, Cindy Frishanti Octavia
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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