Civil Society Questions Why the PPRT Bill Has Not Been Enacted
National Network for Domestic Worker Advocacy questioned the commitment of the House of Representatives and the government to discuss and enact the Protection of Domestic Workers Bill (RUU PPRT). Yet last year, on 1 May 2025, President Prabowo, in front of the DPR leadership Puan Maharani and Sufmi Dasco, stated that the PPRT Bill would be completed within three months.
What actually happened to cause it not to be enacted for 22 years? asked Lita Anggraini, Coordinator of Jala PRT, at a public hearing in the DPR Building on Thursday, 5 March 2026.
Lita hopes the process of enacting the PPRT Act will be completed soon. Over the past ten months there have been repeated public hearings to discuss and pass the bill.
“Do these public hearings have an end? How many more RDPU hearings will there be? We hope this is the last RDPU,” said Lita.
The PPRT Bill has been championed for 22 years. Previously, various RDPU hearings, research, and DPR fact-finding missions had been conducted. “If this situation continues, the coalition is pessimistic that the RUU could be enacted this year, because the DPR seems to be dragging its feet and doing unnecessary work,” he said.
Chairwoman of the Komnas Perempuan, Maria Ulfah Anshor, urged the RUU to be enacted promptly. “Because enacting this RUU would promote humane working relations between employers and workers, and strengthen the relations among women,” she said in a written statement.
Chairman of the Indonesian Legal Aid Institute Foundation (YLBHI), Muhammad Isnur, urged enactment of the RUU due to the vulnerability of domestic workers who are often treated in unclear ways. Moreover, the work of domestic workers is not visible because they work in the domestic sector.
“It is important for the DPR to immediately consider what to do if these domestic workers encounter problems?” he said.
Data from the Sapu Lidi Domestic Worker Union (SPRT) shows that as of 2025 there are 1,103 domestic workers who have been victims of vulnerability within the domestic work sphere.
On the other hand, several DPR members said that saving domestic workers means saving women. Those statements were made by DPR members from the PKB, Gerindra, Nasdem, and Golkar factions.
“This bill is almost as old as I am, having been fought for 22 years; I am only 26 years old. There is no other way but to enact this bill immediately,” said Cindy Monica Salsabila Setiawan, a NasDem member of the DPR.
PKB faction, Habib Syarief Muhammad, stated that the articles in this RUU have been fully discussed and should be enacted soon.