Abdul C, Jakarta – Every year around the world, June 16 is commonly celebrated as International Domestic Workers Day (IDWD).

Not being left behind, the National Network for Domestic Worker Advocacy (Jala PRT) also commemorated the day in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Jakarta on Sunday June 16.

Yuni Sri, one of the domestic workers (PRT) who took part in the action, stated that today they are still not tired of returning to the streets to call for the government to immediately pass the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers (RUU PPRT) into law.

"Today is International PRT Day that we usually commemorate to remember the birth of ILO [International Labour Organisation] Convention Number 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. The demands are still the same, because it has already been 20 years and the PPRT Law has still not been passed", said Sri with a fiery spirit.

"And every day we always hold actions, alternately, to remind the members of parliament to remember their promises, to immediately pass the law which has already been included in the Prolegnas [National Legislation Program]", she continued.

The domestic workers themselves held the action by bringing a number of posters reading "Realise the PPRT Law Now".

"Hopefully, it will be ratified soon before President Jokowi's [Joko Widodo] term of office expires [in October], because he has promised. So that PRT can work in their own country safely, with clear working hours, no discrimination and violence or other things", Sri added.

International Domestic Workers Day itself was first coined in 2011 and was marked by the ratification of ILO Convention Number 189 and the establishment of international labor laws for domestic workers.

Nevertheless, the situation for domestic workers in Indonesia is still far from satisfactory in the midst of a world that is campaigning for respect for care workers, one of the jobs done by domestic workers.

Jala PRT itself has mapped out the situation in 2024 and found that domestic workers in Indonesia are still experiencing four kinds of violence and workplace intimidation, namely working in a situation of slavery, harassment, poverty because they are excluded from social protections, and vulnerability to being victims of trafficking.

On the other hand, the PPRT Bill has been fought for 20 years, but the DPR still does not want to acknowledge domestic workers as workers and enact the RUU PPRT into law. Yet as workers, domestic workers suffer violations of their rights as a human beings, workers and citizens.

"This can be seen from the many problems experienced by domestic workers such as wages not being paid, difficulties getting health and labour insurance", said Jala PRT coordinator Lita Anggraini.

Therefore, with the momentum of commemorating International Domestic Workers Day on June 16, 2024, Jala PRT issued the following demands:

1. Demanding that the DPR enact the Draft Law on the Protection of Domestic Workers.

2. Urging the government to take institutional, administrative and legal steps so that the DPR immediately enacts the domestic worker protection bill.

3. Inviting the public to call for International Domestic Workers Day on June 16 to be a day of protection and respect for the care giving work carried out by women, especially domestic workers.

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Peringati Hari PRT Internasional, JALA PRT Desak Pemerintah Segera Sahkan UU PPRT".]

Source: https://buruh.co/peringati-hari-prt-internasional-jala-prt-desak-pemerintah-segera-sahkan-uu-pprt/