On the eve of May Day, Amnesty International urged Indonesia to seize the opportunity to legally recognise the country’s millions of domestic workers and to protect them from violence, in accordance with international human rights law and standards.

The Indonesian parliament has included a domestic workers bill in their legislative agenda for 2010, and the enactment of this legislation should be a priority for parliament.

There are approximately 2.6 million domestic workers in Indonesia, many of whom are frequently subjected to human rights abuses in their place of work. They experience economic exploitation, and physical, psychological and sexual violence on a regular basis. Some are even killed. They are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation due to the lack of legal protection of their rights; because their work takes place out of the public eye; and due to their low status in Indonesian society.

In Indonesia domestic workers are not protected by current legislation safeguarding workers’ rights, in particular the 2003 Manpower Act (No.13/2003, Undang-Undang tentang Ketenagakerjaan).

Amnesty International understands that The Domestic Workers Advocacy Network (Jala-PRT), a national coalition working for the rights of domestic workers, will be holding an action in front of Indonesian national parliament, calling for such measures as social security provisions for domestic workers, a ban on children under 14 years old becoming domestic workers, and for the bill to be passed this year.

Amnesty International urges the Indonesian parliament to acknowledge that, like every other human being, domestic workers have rights. Female domestic workers should be granted equal protection along with other workers. Such a move would help ensure they are no longer vulnerable to exploitation and abuses.