Action sought against illegal maid suppliers

Action sought against illegal maid suppliers

JAKARTA (JP): The City Manpower Agency should take stern
action against illegal agencies supplying household helpers, a
councilor said yesterday.

City council deputy speaker Sugeng Suprijatna made the remark
in response to the prevalence of such agencies operating in
Jakarta.

Their operation was feared to cause social problems, including
the use of illegal residents, he said.

Sugeng was referring to cases involving the abuse of household
helpers.

"In many maid abuse cases, a fair settlement can never be
reached because it's hard to track down the responsible parties,"
Sugeng said. "Since the agency is illegal, it can disappear
quickly."

Sugeng also stressed the importance of publicizing the rule on
domestic helpers' welfare that was introduced by the municipality
in June, 1993.

Under the rule, the municipality imposes a Rp 500,000
(US$188.68) fee every three years on agencies supplying domestic
help.

It also stipulates that a domestic helper's employer is
subject to an annual Rp 3,000 (US$1.13) fee, including the cost
of a Rp 500 city stamp.

The head of the City Manpower Agency, R.H Sudhartin said
yesterday that 95 percent of agencies supplying domestic help in
the city were illegal.

"Of 76 domestic helper agencies, only three of them have
business permits," he said.

He blamed the rising number of illegal agencies on their
owners' lack of understanding of the city's rule on domestic
help.

He also admitted that because many helpers came from villages
and did not have sufficient social skills, they tended to become
victims of fraud and extortion by the agencies.

Sudhartin said that the manpower agency also faced
difficulties recording the number of domestic helpers employed in
the city.

"They are employed just a few days after being briefly
accommodated by the agencies," he said.

According to municipality data from 1996, only 25,000 of an
estimated 500,000 domestic helpers were registered. It is also
estimated that 30 percent of the 1.7 million families in the city
have domestic help.

The city set aside Rp 600 million to train domestic helpers in
the current 1997/1998 fiscal year.

Sugeng said that if training programs for household helpers
could be maintained, there would be less risk of them
encountering bad treatment at the hands either the agencies or
the employers.

The 31-chapter rule on domestic help regulates the rights and
obligations of agencies, employers and helpers themselves.

The rule also covers a minimum working age of 15 for domestic
helpers, unless they have parental permission. It also introduces
12 days of annual leave.

The agencies' obligations include, among other things,
processing licenses, giving training in housekeeping skills and
guaranteeing that workers stay in their jobs for at least six
months.

The agencies are also forbidden from send domestic helpers
outside Jakarta, supplying them through brokers or charging them
fees. (07)