Indonesia's parliament has passed a historic law granting legal recognition and protection to the country's 4.2 million domestic workers, ending more than two decades of advocacy and repeated legislative delays. The bill was first introduced in 2004 but stalled repeatedly before being revived in parliament in 2020. On Tuesday, cheers and applause erupted in the chamber as House Speaker Puan Maharani brought down the gavel to confirm the law's adoption.

Prior to the legislation, domestic workers — nearly 90% of whom are women — were not legally classified as workers under Indonesian law, leaving them in an informal and unregulated economy with little recourse against exploitation or abuse. Under the new law, they will be entitled to health insurance, unemployment benefits, pensions, vocational training, and guaranteed rest days. Placement agencies will no longer be permitted to deduct wages, and the hiring of anyone under 18 as a domestic worker is now explicitly prohibited — a significant provision in a country where fewer than one in three people complete high school and children as young as 12 have historically entered domestic service.

The law does not yet specify a minimum wage. Regulators have a 12-month window to draft detailed implementation policies, including penalties for employers who violate the legislation. Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas told the parliamentary plenary that the law aims to provide "legal certainty for both domestic workers and employers" and to prevent discrimination, exploitation, and abuse.

For those who fought for its passage, the moment was deeply emotional. "It feels like a dream — this has been a 22-year struggle for us marginalised women to gain protection," said domestic worker Ajeng Astuti. The Jala PRT domestic workers' rights group, which led much of the advocacy campaign, called it a "historic" moment, noting that domestic workers had long been neglected. However, coordinator Lita Anggraini cautioned that "the struggle is not over," stressing the need for a broad public education campaign to inform employers of their new legal responsibilities.

The scale of the challenge ahead is underscored by documented abuses. Jala PRT recorded more than 3,300 cases of violence against domestic workers between 2021 and 2024, including physical and psychological abuse, economic exploitation, and human trafficking. In one prominent 2023 case, nine people in South Jakarta were sentenced to up to four years in prison for abusing a young domestic worker who had been beaten, burned with cigarettes, and chained to a dog cage. Rights groups say the new law is a crucial foundation, but that enforcement and awareness will determine whether it translates into meaningful change on the ground.