Indonesian youth promote decent work for domestic workers through video diaries and photo stories
All of his life, Farhan H. Warits, a senior high school student in Jakarta, has never known who has washed, ironed and neatly folded his clothes until one day he ran out of clothes in his closet. He finally found out about Mpok (Mrs) Fatimah who, for many years, has been working at his house as a domestic worker.
19 June 2015
All of his life, Farhan H. Warits, a senior high school student in Jakarta, has never known who has washed, ironed and neatly folded his clothes until one day he ran out of clothes in his closet. He finally found out about Mpok (Mrs) Fatimah who, for many years, has been working at his house as a domestic worker. From the folded clothes, Farhan finally awed by the amazing life story of Mpok Fatimah.
For Muhammad Handika, her mother, Nuryati, has been working as a domestic worker in Makassar since the age of 11 years. Although she never had a chance to pursue her goal to be a teacher, she desired to have her children be able to pursue a high education. Handika is so proud of her mother’s profession and hard work.
Alifia Adita or Fia has another interesting story with her domestic worker. They have been close friends since they were 12 years old. Adilla Prasetyo or Ella has been living with and working for Fia’s family for more than five years. Fia’s parents has sent Ella to school and she is now attending the Senior Vocational School. Being the same age Fia and Ella has grown to become close friends in happiness and sorrow.
The stories of Farhan, Handika and Fia were the three out of nine video diaries and photo stories produced by 25 youth aged 12-17 years old, selected from hundreds of youth, in Jakarta dan Makassar, showing the roles of domestic workers in their lives, their daily interaction with their domestic workers and the lives of domestic workers from the eyes of their teenager children.
Using their own words and selection of scenes, these videos document daily lives, plights, journeys and hopes of the domestic workers. These videos consist of four video diaries and five photo stories with a total duration of 90 minutes.
“The programme provided selected students scholarships to produce video diaries and photo stories about their own experiences and views in interacting with their domestic workers in their homes or their surroundings. As young people are creative and act as agents for change in society, these powerful stories created by youth would be good awareness raising tools to make the problems faced by domestic workers visible, and eventually contribute to a better life for domestic workers and the elimination of child domestic labour in Indonesia,” said Arum Ratnawati, the Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO-PROMOTE Project.
The first of its kind, these videos and photos were facilitated by the ILO-PROMOTE in collaboration with Yayasan Kampung Halaman (YKH) under the programme called “From Youth to Youth Programme” (Program Teman Remaja Teman Setara). The programme aimed to engage youth in two issues: to make the life of domestic workers better and to eliminate child domestic labour.
These video diaries and photo stories were launched in Jakarta and Makassar, in conjunction with the commemoration of the World Day against Child Labour in June 2015 at the largest cinema chain XXI. More than 600 viewers attended the launch, including government officials, unionists, academia, employers, teachers, students, mass media and public at large. The video and photo screening was follow-up by discussions on decent work for domestic workers and the elimination of child labour in domestic work.
Fifit Tuffahati, one of the youth involved in the programme, has now been more appreciative to the profession of domestic workers. “They are not only the hero for their families, but also the hero for others,” she said.
Aji Pangestu, another participant, realized that domestic workers should be recognized as workers. “Domestic workers are workers and they need to have certain working hours, proper job descriptions and have the same rights like other workers.”
Meanwhile Arvin Wirarendra, one of the participants, raised his concern about child domestic workers. “Child domestic workers are high-risk jobs. They are lucky if they get good employers; there might be a chance that they would be trafficked instead of working,” he stated, commenting on the story on child domestic workers.
Domestic workers represent the single largest group of female salaried workers contributing to the households of others in their own country or abroad. Despite of the importance of the role of domestic workers, domestic work is still not recognized as work.
Since their work is done in private households, which are not considered work places in many countries, their employment relationship is not addressed in national labour laws or other legislation, denying them recognition as workers entitled to labour protection.
Using the data from National Labour Force Survey 2012, ILO Jakarta estimates that there were 2.6 million domestic workers in Indonesia; of these, 111,000 are children aged 15 – 17 years old.
For Muhammad Handika, her mother, Nuryati, has been working as a domestic worker in Makassar since the age of 11 years. Although she never had a chance to pursue her goal to be a teacher, she desired to have her children be able to pursue a high education. Handika is so proud of her mother’s profession and hard work.
As young people are creative and act as agents for change in society, these powerful stories created by youth would be good awareness raising tools to make the problems faced by domestic workers visible, and eventually contribute to a better life for domestic workers and the elimination of child domestic labour in Indonesia."
Arum Ratnawati, Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO-PROMOTE Project
Alifia Adita or Fia has another interesting story with her domestic worker. They have been close friends since they were 12 years old. Adilla Prasetyo or Ella has been living with and working for Fia’s family for more than five years. Fia’s parents has sent Ella to school and she is now attending the Senior Vocational School. Being the same age Fia and Ella has grown to become close friends in happiness and sorrow.
The stories of Farhan, Handika and Fia were the three out of nine video diaries and photo stories produced by 25 youth aged 12-17 years old, selected from hundreds of youth, in Jakarta dan Makassar, showing the roles of domestic workers in their lives, their daily interaction with their domestic workers and the lives of domestic workers from the eyes of their teenager children.
Using their own words and selection of scenes, these videos document daily lives, plights, journeys and hopes of the domestic workers. These videos consist of four video diaries and five photo stories with a total duration of 90 minutes.
“The programme provided selected students scholarships to produce video diaries and photo stories about their own experiences and views in interacting with their domestic workers in their homes or their surroundings. As young people are creative and act as agents for change in society, these powerful stories created by youth would be good awareness raising tools to make the problems faced by domestic workers visible, and eventually contribute to a better life for domestic workers and the elimination of child domestic labour in Indonesia,” said Arum Ratnawati, the Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO-PROMOTE Project.
Domestic workers are workers and they need to have certain working hours, proper job descriptions and have the same rights like other workers."
Aji Pangestu, One of the participants
The first of its kind, these videos and photos were facilitated by the ILO-PROMOTE in collaboration with Yayasan Kampung Halaman (YKH) under the programme called “From Youth to Youth Programme” (Program Teman Remaja Teman Setara). The programme aimed to engage youth in two issues: to make the life of domestic workers better and to eliminate child domestic labour.
These video diaries and photo stories were launched in Jakarta and Makassar, in conjunction with the commemoration of the World Day against Child Labour in June 2015 at the largest cinema chain XXI. More than 600 viewers attended the launch, including government officials, unionists, academia, employers, teachers, students, mass media and public at large. The video and photo screening was follow-up by discussions on decent work for domestic workers and the elimination of child labour in domestic work.
Fifit Tuffahati, one of the youth involved in the programme, has now been more appreciative to the profession of domestic workers. “They are not only the hero for their families, but also the hero for others,” she said.
Aji Pangestu, another participant, realized that domestic workers should be recognized as workers. “Domestic workers are workers and they need to have certain working hours, proper job descriptions and have the same rights like other workers.”
Meanwhile Arvin Wirarendra, one of the participants, raised his concern about child domestic workers. “Child domestic workers are high-risk jobs. They are lucky if they get good employers; there might be a chance that they would be trafficked instead of working,” he stated, commenting on the story on child domestic workers.
Domestic workers represent the single largest group of female salaried workers contributing to the households of others in their own country or abroad. Despite of the importance of the role of domestic workers, domestic work is still not recognized as work.
Since their work is done in private households, which are not considered work places in many countries, their employment relationship is not addressed in national labour laws or other legislation, denying them recognition as workers entitled to labour protection.
Using the data from National Labour Force Survey 2012, ILO Jakarta estimates that there were 2.6 million domestic workers in Indonesia; of these, 111,000 are children aged 15 – 17 years old.