(This webinar is only available in Indonesian)

Cases of sexual violence against children have taken the top spot in Indonesian media these days. The media expose to the public explicit stories as well as identities and photographs of the child victims and (suspected) perpetrators. This happens because many media outlets seem to have forgotten the code of ethics for journalists set by the Indonesian Press Council, i.e., that journalists are not to mention and publish the identity of victims of immoral crimes and not to publish the identity of an underage who has committed a crime.

On the one hand, there have been many discussions to find a better way to handle children who become the victims of sexual violence, such as improving the quality of forensics evidence collection, providing psychosocial counselling and intervention to relieve trauma, and giving special protection during the judicial process. On the other hand, however, discussions about publication and media are still very limited and need to be developed, bringing together the press, child rights activists, advocates, stakeholders, and policymakers.

Based on this need, Jaringan Perlindungan Anak Indonesia (JPAI) and The SMERU Research Institute believed that it was necessary to hold a public discussion involving the media, relevant ministries and institutions, civil society organizations, as well as other stakeholders so that the media could once again become the agents that provide useful information for the public, while still respecting the rights of children and journalist code of ethics.

This discussion was held on Tuesday, 21 June 2016, and aimed at:

1. identifying the role of the media in the efforts to protect children in Indonesia,
2. mapping policy issues or gaps related to the journalist code of ethics and its implementation, and
3. providing recommendations to strengthen the journalist code of ethics in the reporting of news related to violence against children.

  
Speakers:

1. Diena Haryana (Yayasan Sejiwa)
2. Mariam F. Batara (Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika)
3. Ratna Komala (Dewan Pers)
4. Bekti Nugroho (KPI)
5. Mohamad Heychael (Remotivi)
6. Endah Lismartini (AJI)