For twenty-two years, JALA PRT (National Domestic Workers Advocacy Network) along with thousands of their domestic worker members and many colleagues from the civil society organisations in Indonesia kept advocating for a specific legislation that would protect the rights of Domestic Workers in the country. Many strategic planning meetings were held. Numerous public actions were undertaken. Countless online campaigns were launched. They even sat in front of the government buildings for days on end. At times they thought that they would achieve their goal within a few days only to be disappointed at the last minute. They felt cheated, fustrated and even angry. It took many internal meetings to keep their hope alive and to keep fighting.

Finally, on 21 April, 2026, Indoensia’s House of Representatives passed the Domestic Workers Protection Law (RUU PPRT).

Why was this law necessary and what would its impact on domestic workers be?

Nova from GAATW-IS spoke with Wina, a domestic worker leader who was part of the long campaign alongside JALA PRT.

The Personal is Political

A few words about Wina may help us understand how and why she became part of the struggle. Her story is unique but also typical of many of her peers.

Winaningsih Kuswadi (Wina) was born into a humble family in Cilacap, Central Java. Unable to continue her education beyond junior high school, Wina (then 16 years old) left her hometown to work as a domestic worker in Tasikmalaya, West Java. A year later, she moved to Jakarta and continued working as a domestic worker. In 1999, when she was just 18 years old, Wina decided to migrate to a foreign country for work. An agent helped her with false documentation that increased her age. She travelled with a lot of determination to earn well for her family but without any information on her rights as a migrant domestic worker.

Her employer in Hong Kong turned out to be kind and considerate. They even reminded her to save money for herself. “One day you would get married and start your own family. You will need money for that,” they told her. However, for Wina, just like for many of her friends, the economic needs of their parental families were foremost in their minds and they did not want to be seen as “selfishly thinking about themselves.” It was while in Hong Kong that Wina learnt about the double standards of society towards women. She realised that while ‘good’ women migrant workers were expected to send all their earnings home, they were also stigmaitsed as ‘bad’ women with loose sexual morality. While she was abroad, her mother gave birth to another child, many people in her community gossiped that the baby must be Wina’s biological child from an illicit relationship in Hong Kong. Nevertheless, her hard work in Hong Kong was helping her family. Her parents were able to build a new house with her financial contribution.

After working for a few years in Hong Kong, Wina returned to Jakarta and took up work with an expatriate family. One day, she came to know that a fellow domestic worker friend was laid off by her employers and asked to return the items they had given her. She blogged about it and received a response from an Australian person living in Bali. They gave her the contact details of Lita (founder of JALA PRT, an organisation that advocates for domestic workers' rights) and told Wina to reach out to JALA-PRT if she and her friends had any work related problem. That one initial phone call was a turning point for Wina. She and her friend were invited to a meeting where they met other domestic workers. Soon they became regulars in all the meetings. Asking questions, learning about the law, talking to other domestic workers to collect information, joining campaigns, participating in ILO dialogues and leading delegations became part of her life. Slowly but steadily her political understanding and awareness became deeper and she began to see herself as an intergral part of the social justice movements in Indonesia. As she visited other countries and met other women workers, she got connected to the global struggle for rights and justice. As a member of JALA-PRT’s campaign team, Wina’s role in the advocacy for the Domestic Workers Bill in Indonesia was crucial.

In 2018, Wina began studying law as a member of JALA-PRT’s paralegal team. This year she will join Pamulang University as a law student with a scholarship from JALA PRT. She continues to work as a part-time domestic worker and lives with her partner and children.

In an interview with Dewi Nova, Wina shares her reflections on the new legislation, its implications, and the challenges ahead.

N: As a domestic worker, how did you feel after the Domestic Workers Law was passed?

W: Speechless with joy. I was so happy I was shaking and crying tears of joy. My elusive dream had finally come true! The passing of the Protection of Domestic Workers Law gave me strength. Previously, the law had looked down on me (as a domestic worker), but now I (as a domestic worker) am recognised as a worker.

N: In your opinion, what are the fundamental issues that domestic workers face in Indonesia?

W: Long working hours, low wages, and no breaks. We often find ourselves in situations where, before we even take a break, our employers order us to do something else. It feels like the work never ends.

We often wonder if our employers don't want us to take breaks. Sometimes, even when the cupboards are clean, they still ask us to clean them. Most of us don't dare to refuse this relentless work. Our family ‘culture’ teaches us to be obedient and not to refuse. For example, my parents always advised me to "anticipate the tasks and do those even before your employer asks you to do them.”

I used to think working without rest was normal. After attending the regular learning sessions at the domestic workers’ school at JALA PRT, I understood that I should work according to my employment contract, and not as per my employer's demands or even my parents' advice. Now, I've stopped working excessively long hours just to please my boss. Instead, I work according to the obligations stipulated in my employment contract.

N: Will the problems you mention be solved now that we have a Domestic Workers Law?

W: This law addresses some of the issues, and some we are still fighting for. For example, this law regulates wages for domestic workers but does not yet stipulate a minimum wage. On the positive side, it does state that domestic workers are entitled to rest days.

This law makes us more confident because we now have a legal umbrella that recognises us as workers, and this strengthens us for further negotiations with the state and employers.

N: What do you think will be the challenge in implementing this law?

W: I can see two challenges.

First, it will not be easy to equip domestic workers with the knowledge, awareness, and courage to claim their rights as stipulated in this law. For example, even though this law regulates domestic workers' rights to take leave, do you think many domestic workers will have the courage to discuss this with their employers? Maybe not. This is a new concept in the culture of employing domestic workers in Indonesia. How can they demand their right to take leave without risking anger from their employers or even losing their jobs?

Second, the public, especially employers, often think this law only protects domestic workers, leading them to be antagonistic and unwilling to study it. In fact, this law protects both domestic workers and employers. It actually benefits both parties.With this law, domestic workers can discuss amicably with their employers regarding wages, working hours, rest hours, holidays and request social security rights.

This law also allows employers to know the skills, origin, and health status of domestic workers. Likewise, domestic workers have the right to know the identity of their employers. This is new for us, as we are usually denied to know who our employers are or what their jobs are. But this is necessary for our safety and comfort at work. Employers can also only hire workers with ID cards to prevent the employment of underage. 

So, it is important for us to carry out an information campaign regarding the benefits of the Protection of Domestic Workers Law for both parties.

JALA-PRT members protest in front of the House of Representatives. By rotating participation among small groups, domestic workers sustained both their livelihoods and their collective struggle for rights.

N: What do you think are the gaps in this law?

W: There are several rights that are not yet fully guaranteed in the law, and we will advocate for them in the drafting of Government Regulations for this law. These include wages. The law mentions wages for domestic workers, but does not spell out a minimum wage. How can domestic workers negotiate their salaries with their employers? On what grounds?

Then, regarding health insurance and social security: The new law mandates employers to provide social protection to domestic workers. However, BPJS regulations (the agency that manages workers' social protection) calculate the obligation of workers to pay independently, which is calculated based on the wealth they own (including owning a large television, for example, which is considered a luxury item). In reality, many domestic workers own luxury items not because of their ability but rather because they were given those by their employers, especially expatriates, who did not want to take those items abroad. In fact, according to BPJS standards, a domestic worker may own luxury items, but in reality, she will still not have difficulty in paying social and health insurance premiums.

Therefore, we will continue our campaign so that the Government Regulation addresses the lacunae (gaps) in the law. We will also take our demands to the Social Security Agency (BPJS) so they collaborate with us. Further, we will advocate for a minimum wage through Government Regulation. And, no less importantly, we will advocate for a method of resolving employee-employer conflicts that involves the government to achieve a binding decision.

N: What lessons have you learnt from the 22 years of advocacy for the PPRT Law?

W: I have seen how we, domestic workers, worked hand in hand with civil society forces from diverse backgrounds such as the media, politicians, academics, artists, and NGOs who are members of the Civil Coalition for the Domestic Workers Law. No less than 263 members consisting of individuals and organisations are part of this coalition. I will not forget how women politicians like Eva Sundari accelerated the political process of this law, as well as the power of the feminist media Konde.co whose Editor-in-Chief, Luvina, even directly participated in demonstrations and lobbying with the House of Representatives. Also, I would like to highlight the support of those experienced in factory labor federations such as Jumingsih, who is part of the JALA-PRT advocacy team.

Of course, my deepest respect goes to Ms. Lita who led this advocacy for decades until it gained such massive support and was finally materialised into a law.

For us domestic workers, who didn’t have the legal right to take leave, the freedom to take time off to demonstrate, and lobby the government, their support was invaluable. I believe, the fact that some many people came forward to join our struggle and stayed with us for so many years gave us courage and hope.

Fatigue and doubts are inevitable when a simple and legitimate demand takes so long. We had to energise each other. We had to heal each other. We had to stay optimistic. And finally, the law recognises us as workers with rights!

This Government Regulation serves to detail, clarify and explain legal norms in laws that are still general and abstract in nature so that they can be implemented technically in the field.