Dasco: Domestic Workers Protection Bill Still Requires Extensive Public Participation
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Sufmi Dasco Ahmad stated that the Bill on the Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT) has been confirmed for inclusion in the 2025 national legislation programme (Prolegnas). The bill is currently at the stage of gathering public participation.
“The Domestic Workers Protection Bill covers various aspects that must be carefully considered, so it still requires extensive public participation,” Dasco said at the House of Representatives complex on Monday, 23 February 2026.
According to him, broad public participation is essential in the deliberation of the bill. The outcomes of discussions with trade unions during May Day 2025 will place greater emphasis on efforts to protect domestic workers.
He assured that the deliberation process for the bill would continue in the House. Once the legislative recess concludes, the House’s Legislation Body (Baleg) will continue to solicit wide-ranging public participation.
“Until the deliberations are completed,” Dasco said.
The Domestic Workers Protection Bill was first proposed for discussion in the House back in 2004. During the 2024–2029 parliamentary term, the bill was indeed listed among those in the 2025 national legislation programme. However, its deliberation has yet to make any meaningful progress.
The House’s Legislation Body, tasked as the parliamentary instrument for deliberating the bill, has held public hearings (RDPU) to gather various inputs. Yet, as of February 2026, only the Indonesian Women’s Congress has been invited to a public hearing by Baleg to discuss the draft regulation.
On 13 February, a civil society coalition for the expedited ratification of the bill declared its intention to report House Speaker Puan Maharani to the Ombudsman of the Republic of Indonesia.
The reason cited was that Puan, as House Speaker, has failed to pave the way for the bill’s ratification. “It has been dragging on for 22 years — how much longer must domestic workers wait for legal protection?” said Lita Anggraini, Coordinator of the National Network for Domestic Worker Advocacy (JALA PRT).
In addition to the Ombudsman report, the coalition also urged President Prabowo Subianto to honour his promise. During the May Day celebrations on 1 May, Prabowo stated that the government would promptly ratify the bill into law.
In his speech, Prabowo pledged that the ratification would not be delayed. “Hopefully, within no more than three months, we will have this bill sorted out,” Prabowo said on 1 May 2025.
Meanwhile, House Speaker Puan Maharani argued that the House needs to gather as many perspectives as possible in drafting the bill. She claimed the drafting process would seek to accommodate the interests of domestic workers, employers, and labour intermediaries. “The House has already begun — starting deliberations, seeking input from the entire public,” Puan said on 24 July 2025.