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Domestic worker protection bill approved as House initiative
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Members of the Militant Workers Union hold a rally in observance of International Women’s Day outside the Gedung Sate city hall in Bandung, West Java, on March 8, 2023. They demanded the immediate passage of the long-delayed domestic worker protection bill and called for justice for victims of sexual violence. (Antara/Raisan Al Farisi)
T
he House of Representatives finally approved the domestic worker protection bill (RUU PPRT) as a House initiative on Tuesday, taking the long-gestating bill one step closer to being passed into law after civil society groups publicly called on House Speaker Puan Maharani to resume deliberations on the bill.
“Are we all in agreement to approve the domestic worker bill as a House initiative?” asked Puan to a chorus of approval during the House plenary session on Tuesday.
Representatives from a coalition of civil groups advocating for a domestic worker protection law, dubbed the Civil Coalition for RUU PPRT, were also present during the meeting with their cheers echoing loudly during the sparsely attended plenary session.
With the bill now listed as a House initiative, the next step will be for the House and the government to discuss the bill before it can be passed into law.
President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo already expressed his commitment to supporting the domestic worker protection bill in January. The President had instructed the Law and Human Rights Ministry and the Manpower Ministry to coordinate with all relevant stakeholders in order to expedite the bill’s passage.
In a press conference held after the plenary session, Puan of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) underlined the importance of the government’s cooperation in the next stage of the process. “We’ll begin deliberations and always strive to make sure that resulting law is as beneficial as intended and free of polemics,” said Puan.
Read also: Domestic worker protection bill earns Jokowi’s endorsement after 19 years in limbo
