2023-08-15 04:08:06
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP) — Indonesian domestic workers and activists began a hunger strike Monday to protest Parliament’s delay in passing a bill to protect them.
The sunrise-to-sunset fasting protests were held simultaneously in the capital Jakarta and other major cities, and will be held every day until the measure is approved, said Lita Anggraini of the National Defense Network. for Domestic Workers.
“The hunger strike reflects the situation of many domestic workers in this country who do not have government protection,” Anggraini said. “We call on legislators to immediately enact the initiative to protect domestic workers. The longer it is postponed, the more workers will suffer from violence and discrimination.”
In Jakarta, around 40 activists from the Domestic Workers Alliance began their fast under tents set up outside the Parliament compound. They held watches, pacifiers, napkins and cleaning equipment, as well as chains that they said symbolized the challenges domestic workers face in Indonesia.
Legislators first proposed a domestic worker protection initiative in 2004 to address issues of discrimination, mistreatment and humiliation. Since then it has been updated and removed from the list of legislative priorities at least three times.
In 2020, the legislature agreed to push the initiative through a plenary session, but the lower house leadership refused to approve support for “administrative reasons.”
President Joko Widodo called on lawmakers last January to speed up the debate around the initiative while pledging to provide better protections for the country’s 4.2 million domestic workers. He charged the Ministry of Law and Human Rights and the Ministry of Manpower to coordinate efforts to ensure timely approval of the measure.
“I hope it can be enacted soon and provide better protections for domestic workers, employers and placement agencies,” Widodo said.
Indonesia has regarding 4.2 million domestic workers, according to the 2015 survey by the International Labor Organization and the University of Indonesia. It is the highest number worldwide, followed by India with 3.8 million and the Philippines with 2.6 million.
Domestic workers often work long shifts without adequate rest or time off. They do not have social security and suffer from violence and intimidation and economic, physical and psychological isolation, according to the survey.
Women comprise 84% of domestic work in Indonesia, and 14% of domestic workers are minors. They are often exposed to exploitation and human trafficking. They are also not protected by Indonesian labor laws and regulations.
The bill was drafted with input from many stakeholders and includes provisions for employers and employment agencies, said Minister for Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Bintang Puspayoga.
“The initiative is extremely important. It will provide legal protection for domestic workers and disproportionately affects women and children,” Puspayoga said, adding that the measure will set a minimum age of 18 for domestic workers.
The lower house approved the measure last March and placed it on a list of “proposed new initiatives,” indicating that it would likely be debated this year. But so far lawmakers appear to be in no hurry to move the bill forward.
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