The passing of the Domestic Workers Protection Bill (PPRT Law) on 21 April 2026 is a major victory that should be celebrated. After more than two decades, the struggle of domestic workers has at last paid off – they are finally recognised as workers.
This is crucial, particularly in the Indonesian context, where domestic workers (PRT) are often seen simply as ‘babu/maids’ whose work is undervalued, unappreciated and considered trivial.
In fact, they carry out crucial ‘social reproductive labour’. This refers to all the activities and processes required to maintain daily life and prepare individuals to take part in economic production. It includes household chores and childcare.
Without social reproductive labour, the workforce cannot exist. Without it, there would be no factory workers, no office workers, and so on. In other words, there would be no society.
In Indonesia, many domestic workers are employed to live in their employers’ homes, and subjected to indefinite labour. They are often seen part of the employer’s family, so that they seem to be ‘owned’ without a clear employment contract. Many also experience violence or even abuse by their employers.
Now, the passing of the PPRT Law means domestic workers at last have regulations that protect them. Employers/families who delegate social reproductive labour to domestic workers must respect their rights as workers by paying a decent wage, providing paid leave, and ensuring access to social security, named Badan...
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