Indonesia's Parliament should protect domestic workers
Ratna started working as a domestic worker at the age of 13. Her employer initially told her that her salary would be 350,000 Indonesian Rupiahs (around US38) per month. But what she got instead was just half that amount for a seven-day work week from five am until midnight. Ratna was not allowed to take any breaks and was only allowed to go out once a week to hang the clothes out to dry. She slept on the hard kitchen floor and was locked in every night, supposedly for her own protection. This meant she couldn’t even go to the toilet at night. She also lost contact with her family because she was not allowed to make phone calls or send letters. No protection under law There are nearly 2.6 million women domestic workers, like Ratna, in Indonesia. They are not protected by current legislation safeguarding workers' rights. They are subjected to economic expl