Returning home should not become a burden
Surabaya — There are jobs that take place behind closed doors, far from the spotlight of offices, factories, or public spaces. These roles are carried out by domestic workers who wash, cook, care for children, and clean houses, while simultaneously supporting the livelihoods of other families.
When employment relationships transform into situations where workers are not free to return home, the issue is no longer merely about labour relations. A case involving a domestic worker placement agency in Gunung Anyar, Surabaya, East Java, has exposed a much larger problem.
Surabaya Mayor Eri Cahyadi and his team visited the location after receiving reports of a worker who was allegedly unable to return home because they were burdened with a fine of Rp3.5 million. Several other workers were also found at the shelter.
Subsequent inspections revealed further issues, including the fact that the placement agency’s licensing was still in progress. The Mayor has demanded that all rights of the workers currently at the location be fulfilled and ensured that those wishing to return home can safely return to their home regions. The city government has also ordered assistance for workers intending to report the case and has called for inspections of other domestic worker agencies in Surabaya.
This event is significant not merely because of the multi-million rupiah fine. The more fundamental question concerns the position of workers within the placement chain: where is the line between placement services and practices that strip workers of their autonomy?
The story of Siti Cholifah in Gunung Anyar illustrates why this issue requires deeper scrutiny. She found the job through social media promotions offering rapid placement and an income of approximately Rp3 million. She was subsequently placed in Bali, but after only about a week, she was instructed to return to the agency because her employment there did not continue.
This is where the vulnerability of domestic workers becomes apparent. Many job seekers come from economic backgrounds in need of immediate income. While they certainly need work, that need must not become a weakness in bargaining power that can be exploited by others.
The model of recruitment via social media makes job searching easier but introduces new challenges. Job offers can spread rapidly, yet prospective workers may lack the ability to verify company legality, employer identity, contract terms, costs, termination mechanisms, or rights when placements do not go as planned.
Therefore, the protection of domestic workers cannot be resolved only after problems arise. The government must be present even before workers are deployed. Placement agencies should not merely act as intermediaries; they bear a greater responsibility to ensure that job information is accurate, employment relationships are clear, workers’ rights are known, shelter conditions are decent, and all disputes can be resolved without pressure.
The Gunung Anyar case also demonstrates the importance of monitoring shelters. The discovery of stuffy rooms and workers who were ill or struggling to walk shows that protection must go beyond inspecting company documents. The human condition behind those documents should be the primary measure.
Law must prevail. Indonesia is entering a new phase of domestic worker protection as Law Number 2 of 2026 on the Protection of Domestic Workers is set to take effect on 30 April 2026. This regulation covers recruitment, employment relationships, wages, working hours, social security, safe and healthy working environments, agency licensing, and dispute resolution mechanisms.
The passage of this law ends a 22-year wait for a specific legal umbrella for domestic workers. This means that the protection of domestic workers is no longer merely a moral idea; it has become part of the national legal framework.