Provincial Awareness Raising Events: Media Briefings and Broadcast Events on Decent Work for Domestic Workers Surabaya, Medan, Makassar, Bandung and Kupang 7 – 26 March 2012
Background
The ILO has since 2004 supported the development of labour and human rights protections for Indonesian domestic workers, notably the development of a Bill on Domestic Work (RUU PRT), scheduled for Parliamentary review in 2011/2012, as well as coalition-building, organizing and capacity-building of domestic workers organizations. The activities supported by the ILO were also instrumental in the Indonesian Government’s change of position to vote in favor of adopting ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers.
Despite progress in Indonesia, gaps remain, namelyinreforming the Indonesian policy and legislative framework for recruitment and placement in Indonesia (Law No. 39 of 2004 on the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Workers Overseas), including strengthening protection of female domestic workers. Domestic workers are Indonesia’s largest group of female wage workers working in Indonesia and abroad. Moreover, it is the single most important employment sector for poor urban and rural women. Massive, systematic and institutionalized labour and human rights violations of domestic workers working overseas and Indonesia are well documented. However, there is no reliable data on prevalence of domestic workers.
Apart from adult domestic workers, one of the most common child labour forms found in Indonesia is child domestic labour. According to the 2009 Indonesia Child Labour Survey (ICLS) , the estimated number of child labourers (aged 10-17) in Indonesia was about 1.7 million in 2009. Of these children 43 % were girls, who (aged under 16) are mostly employed as child domestic workers. The number of working girls is often underestimated in statistical surveys due to the nature of work they are involved in. A large number of girls are engaged in unpaid economic activities such as work in household enterprises, and hidden activities such as prostitution, child trafficking and domestic work.
To address these issues, it is crucial for the media to focus and influence attitudes on domestic workers’ conditions among decision-makers, employers and the public in general. Moreover, it is important to build capacity and support advocates and stakeholder organizations to reach out to and organize and assist domestic workers’ organizations of local domestic workers (both adult and child domestic workers’ organizations) and migrant domestic workers, including to build coalitions between confederations and other organizations supporting rights of domestic workers.
Objectives
� Raise awareness, discuss and share knowledge on adult and child domestic work, among Constituents and stakeholders in each event location. � Encourage and motivate stakeholder organizations to cooperate and expand current cooperation for stronger advocacy locally, and to identify areas of collaboration locally. � Strengthen, build capacity and empower domestic workers organizations, both those working with adult and child domestic workers, as well as migrant domestic workers locally. � Discuss the connection between foreign domestic workers, domestic workers, child domestic workers, as well as migrant domestic workers, and highlight the problems each of the domestic worker groups encounter.
Workshop strategy
A series of specialized radio events and media briefing will be developed in collaboration with SmartFM Network in the format of: (1) an interactive talk-show; (2) media briefing and (3) information capsules (radio spots). These programmes are scheduled for a two-week broadcast cycle in March 2012. The events will be organised in five locations around Indonesia: Makassar, Surabaya, Medan and Bandung, with 75 participants from Constituents and stakeholders.
Areas of Coverage Previously, in 2009-2010 the ILO conducted awareness raising events and activities (through radio) on domestic work. Activities were conducted in Jakarta, Makassar, Surabaya and Medan. In order to follow up on the previous activities, this workshop will be organized in the same three/four provinces that still are major cities for domestic work: � South Sulawesi (Makassar) � East Java (Surabaya) � NTT (Kupang) � North Sumatra (Medan) � West Java (Bandung)