Indonesian maids say they face poor treatment by employers in their country too

Indonesian maids undergoing training at a centre in Solo, Indonesia, in 2011

JAKARTA: Indonesian domestic workers face poor treatment by employers back home just as they do overseas, a rights group and workers say in response to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's vow to stop Indonesian women from working abroad as maids.

"How come we expect other countries to protect (domestic workers) when even in their own country they are unprotected?" Nursyahbani Katjasungkana, a member of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) and a former lawmaker said on Sunday, referring to the lack of legal protection for domestic workers.