Bylaw on housemaids unenforced: Official

Bylaw on housemaids unenforced: Official

JAKARTA (JP): Only a few people are aware of Bylaw No. 6/1993
on Housemaids. Even most of the city's 85 councillors have
admitted that they know nothing about it.

Head of the data division of the city's Public Relations
Office Haidil Anwar Kohar said the bylaw had been issued
following a number of housemaid abuse cases.

"If I'm not mistaken, before the bylaw was issued there had
been a case where a maid had a hot iron applied to her face by
her employer in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta," said Haidil, who
seems to be one of the few people to have heard of the bylaw.

"But to date, the bylaw has never been enforced," he told The
Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

He said that the city administration had not enforced the
bylaw as so far it had never received any complaints from
housemaids.

The case that occurred in Pejompongan was handled by the
police, who charged the employer under the Criminal Code.

Labor activist and lawyer Apong Herlina earlier told the Post
that the bylaw was not being implemented as there had never been
a public campaign advertising its existence. She also said that
even if the bylaw were implemented it would be difficult to
monitor as the abuse happened behind closed doors in private
homes.

The bylaw, officially titled "Bylaw on the supervision of
domestic helpers' welfare in Jakarta", stipulates that the
oversight of housemaids' welfare is the responsibility of the
city governor (article 2).

Articles 3 and 4 of the bylaw state that a domestic help
agency should provide, among other things, shelter, training,
skills training, and mental and spiritual guidance to potential
housemaids.

The duties of employers as provided for in Article 10 include
the obligation to pay wages, provide food, clothes, supervision,
proper shelter, good treatment, adequate rest, breaks for
religious worships, and medical treatment, and to pay
compensation if the maid is dismissed.

Meanwhile, Article 13 stipulates that to become a housemaid,
one should be in good health and be at least 18 years old. Where
a parent's permission is forthcoming, maids as young as 15 may be
employed.

Article 13 also imposes obligations on the employee and states
that a maid should be honest, disciplined, polite, skillful, be
fully documented, and have the permission of her husband if she
is married.

If a dispute arises between a housemaid, the domestic help
agency and the employer, this can be resolved by a team set up by
the governor (Article 17).

Article 27 stipulates that any agency or employer who violates
the bylaw is liable to a maximum sentence of three months in jail
or a maximum fine of Rp 50,000.

The bylaw authorizes the city administration to designate its
own investigating officers to probe alleged violations of the
bylaw.

Under article 28, such civilian investigators are entitled to
enter into houses where alleged violations of the bylaw are
occurring.

An investigator can also seize objects and documents, and
question witnesses on any violations before handing over the
results of his investigation to the police.(jun)