Indonesian People's Workers Confederation Highlights Critical Issues in the Domestic Worker Protection Bill

Rieke Diah Pitaloka, General Chair of the Indonesian People’s Workers Confederation, said there are a number of crucial issues that must be accommodated in drafting the Domestic Worker Protection Bill (DWPB). The umbrella legal draft is still being discussed in the House of Representatives’ Legislation Body after stalling for 22 years.

Rieke said the definition of the domestic worker profession must be clarified in the bill. She noted that this is already set out in the Standards Convention on Domestic Workers or ILO Convention 198.

‘The standard states that a domestic worker is a worker, not a helper, let alone a nanny,’ Rieke said during a public hearing in the DPR’s Baleg room, Jakarta, on Thursday, 5 March 2026.

Moreover, Rieke argued that the state’s mindset still views the domestic worker profession as a private matter. In fact, she said, domestic workers should be seen as an employment relationship that should be regulated by law.

The former ILO Migrant Workers Ambassador said regulation of rights and duties is also needed, including social protection for domestic workers. She stated that the provisions should balance the rights and duties between employers and domestic workers.

According to Rieke, there is an unequal power dynamic between domestic workers and employers. ‘This is exacerbated by social stigma as a servant, or worse still, as a nanny,’ said the member of Parliament from Commission XIII.

In addition, she urged that the DWPB drafting should also accommodate provisions on prevention and handling of violence against domestic workers. This mirrors Amnesty International Indonesia data, which noted that in 2025 there were 122 cases of sexual and domestic violence against domestic workers in Indonesia.

She urged that the DWPB be enacted promptly. Rieke argued that the delay in enacting this bill after two decades of discussion cannot be viewed as a normal political dynamic.

‘The delay risks becoming a failure by the state to provide legal protection for the most vulnerable group of workers,’ said the PDI-P politician.