On 21 April 2026, the House of Representatives of the Republic of Indonesia (DPR RI) officially enacted the Domestic Workers Protection Law, during its 17th Plenary Session. This landmark legislation marks the conclusion of a 22-year legislative struggle that began when the draft bill was first proposed in 2004.
The ratification, which received unanimous support from multiple factions, occurred on the commemoration of Kartini Day, a symbolically significant date for women’s rights in Indonesia. Domestic workers, who number approximately 4.2 to 5 million nationwide and are predominantly women, have long operated within the informal sector without adequate legal safeguards, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and discrimination. Government officials, including the Minister of Law, emphasized that the state now holds an obligation to provide protection and oversight for both domestic workers and employers, aiming to create a more balanced and humane working environment.
Civil society organizations and domestic workers’ advocacy groups welcomed the enactment as a historic victory following years of state-civil society engagement. By legalizing the protection of domestic workers, the state has expanded the legal basis for civil society engagement on the topic of domestic workers’ rights. CSOs can now transition from “advocating for a law” to “monitoring legal compliance,” providing them with a stronger standing to intervene without fear of being sidelined by a lack of regulatory clarity. By criminalizing common abusive practices, such as wage theft, restricted movement or physical abuse, the law also shifts the power dynamic between predominantly female domestic workers and their employers thereby enabling these women to be more outspoken about their situations, reducing structural barriers to their participation in civic life.
In the coming year, passing the required detailed government regulations for effective implements of the law will be critical to ensuring that these legal wins are realized in practice.