They Keep Waiting for State Recognition
Beyond discriminatory treatment, there are still many ways domestic workers are relegated as low-class workers. In fact, there are still those who refer to domestic workers as babu, or assistants.
For 18 years, the fate of domestic workers has remained uncertain. They face discrimination and intimidation. They hope the domestic worker protection bill will soon be ratified.
In 2009, Yuni SR, 39, decided to become a domestic worker in order to support her family. The mother of four felt she had no other choice.
Her husband was working in a workshop, while her youngest child was only a year old.
“At that time, I was confused about where to work. I didn't have a diploma. I attended a vocational high school, but I didn't graduate. Finally, my friend offered [me] work at an apartment,” she said on Monday (14/2/2022).
At the job, Yuni said, she was treated poorly, including being subject to sexual violence by her employer and in the work environment. Even so, she continued to work as a domestic worker because she had no other choice.
"During my time as a domestic worker, I used to get discrimination and intimidation," said Yuni, as she told her story at a webinar titled "Strengthening Support for Policymakers and Developing Strategies to Encourage the Ratification of the Domestic Worker Protection Bill", which was held by the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) on Monday.
According to Yuni, society still despises domestic workers and treats them poorly. She experienced various forms of inhumane treatment, including being hit on her head, being yelled at, being silenced, being treated as suspicious and being considered dirty.
“Some of our friends were locked from outside the house, or asked to wait on the terrace when the employer left. Fellow domestic workers who worked at the apartment were not allowed to pass through the lobby or use the employer's elevator,” she said.
From ‘babu’ to worker
Beyond discriminatory treatment, there are still many ways domestic workers are relegated as low-class workers. In fact, there are still those who refer to domestic workers as babu, or assistants.
In the last few years, people have begun to call them household assistants. Along with the campaign to protect domestic workers, now the term “domestic worker” has
slowly start to shift to “household worker”, although not many use it.
Among employers themselves, the term domestic worker is not widely known. This was acknowledged by Lusiani Julia, one of the employers' representatives.
"Yes, if you are a bit polite, call it assistant. Now there are still those who call them maids or ‘babu’. As an employer, I myself am a bit embarrassed when someone mentions ‘babu’. But I want to say that domestic workers have to do it little by little, because the term is not yet known,” said Julia.
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Workers Need Urgent Protection
Besides the term domestic worker, the domestic work protection bill is not widely known by employers. Even now there are fears that the bill will make it harder for employers because they will have to pay high wages for domestic workers and must be prepared to face legal problems if they are late in paying their salaries.
18 years of struggle
Coinciding with National Domestic Worker Day, which is commemorated every 15 Feb., Komnas Perempuan and a network of civil society organizations have again tried to win the hearts of legislatures in Senayan, Jakarta, so that they will resume the legislative process for the domestic worker protection bill, which has been stalled for 18 years in the hands of the House of Representatives.
The poor treatment of domestic workers will continue, including facing unlimited workloads and long working hours – an average of more than 16 hours a day with no rest, no weekly holidays, no annual leave, no social security and no health or employment social security.
The longer the delay of a legal umbrella that recognizes the profession of domestic workers, the longer the list of domestic workers who experience discrimination and injustice will be. The poor treatment of domestic workers will continue, including facing unlimited workloads and long working hours – an average of more than 16 hours a day with no rest, no weekly holidays, no annual leave, no social security and no health or employment social security.
The 2019 JALA PRT Social Security survey of 4,296 domestic workers organized in six cities found that 89 percent of domestic worker respondents did not receive health insurance and 99.9 percent of domestic workers did not receive employment security rights.
Luluk Nur Hamidah, a member of the House from the National Awakening Party (PKB) faction, claimed the discussion of the domestic worker protection bill could not be continued because the issue of domestic workers was not considered a priority. "Although this is very embarrassing, that's the fact that happened," said Luluk.
(This article was translated by Kurniawan Siswo).