Activists demand domestic worker law


Activists from the Domestic Workers Advocacy Network (Jala PRT) staged a protest on Sunday, calling on the government and the House of Representatives to issue a domestic worker law to protect domestic worker rights.

"We want them to issue the law this year," Lita, a Jala PRT activist said during a rally as quoted by kompas.com on Sunday.

Without a law, domestic workers were vulnerable to abuse by his employers, she added.

During the rally, the activists also demanded the government declare Domestic Worker Day, which falls on Feb. 15, as a national holiday for domestic workers.

The protest was held to observe the death of a domestic child worker, Sunarsih. Sunarsih died on Feb. 15, 2001 following a series of abuses by her employer.