The plight of

The plight of
domestic helpers

Recently there was a media report that a domestic helper who
had been employed for five days ran away with some of her boss's
property.

Similar reports have often been heard and almost every time
the reason is that these domestic helpers are not known well by
house owners. They didn't have any identity cards and the house
owners practically knew nothing about their background.

In Jakarta, there are hundreds of thousands of domestic
helpers although their exact number is unknown as even
neighborhood associations do not keep their data. The demand for
them is increasing as there are more and more double income
families.

Stories about domestic helpers turning criminal are few
compared with stories of how they suffer in the hands of robbers
that come into the houses where they work or of how they are
badly treated by their bosses. Then also in most cases they are
denied the right to decent pay and holidays.

Given the big number of domestic helpers in Jakarta, their
problems, and the high demand for their services, it is time for
the Jakarta administration to take care of this matter seriously
and to ensure that mutually beneficial relations are forged
between domestic helpers and their employers.

-- Warta Kota, Jakarta