Indonesia maids 'open to abuse'

Issues facing Indonesia's domestic workers abroad get attention

Indonesia is failing to protect its domestic workers and leaves them vulnerable to abusive employers, Amnesty International has found.

The country's estimated 2.5 million domestic workers - some as young as 12 - are generally considered second class citizens, the rights watchdog said.

The government has admitted the law is failing domestic workers and said talks are under way to amend it.

But part of the problem is the failure to enforce existing laws, Amnesty said.

After years of concern over conditions faced by its domestic workers abroad, Indonesia is now facing criticism of its own treatment of workers in the home, the BBC's Lucy Williamson in Jakarta says.

Two-tier system

Amnesty International, in its report, gives examples of domestic workers who have been abused, raped and even beaten to death by their employers.

Workers in the home are being failed by a two-tier legal system which means they do not get the same rights as those employed in registered businesses, the London-based organisation said.

The Indonesian government submitted a draft law on domestic workers to parliament last year, but it omitted fundamental workers' rights, such as clearly defined daily hours of work, rest periods and a minimum wage, Amnesty found.

Workers in the home are also protected by a law on domestic violence, but most people are unaware that it applies to domestic workers.

"The government needs to stop viewing domestic workers as inferior and give them the same legal protections as other workers," Natalie Hill, Deputy Asia Director at Amnesty International, says.

"It also needs to educate police, the courts, employers and recruitment agencies on the fact that violence against domestic workers is a criminal offence."

Amnesty's report is expected to provide ammunition for human rights groups in Indonesia who this week mark National Domestic Workers' Day to raise awareness of the problem, our correspondent says.