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Sexual violence against Indonesian journalists common: AJI survey
Sexual violence against journalists is prevalent across the globe, and an AJI survey reveals that it is also common in Indonesia.
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A survey by the Alliance of Independent Journalists Jakarta chapter (AJI Jakarta) reveals that sexual violence against journalists is a common occurrence, with 73.5 percent of respondents, both female and male, having experienced sexual violence in the course of their jobs. (Shutterstock/File)
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ndonesian journalists are vulnerable to sexual violence and sexual misconduct, a recent survey has found, even as they work to raise public awareness about the proliferation of incidences of sexual violence in the country.
A study published in January by the Jakarta chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI Jakarta) revealed that 25 out of the 34 female and male journalists surveyed said they had experienced sexual violence or misconduct while carrying out their jobs.
Fifteen respondents said they had experienced sexual violence while they were out in the field, while eight said they had experienced sexual violence at their workplaces. Another 15 respondents said they had experienced sexual violence outside working hours in situations connected to their profession, while one respondent said they were sexually harassed during a meeting with other journalists.
AJI Jakarta carried out its survey in August 2020 on 31 women and 3 men working in journalism to expose the risks that journalists, mostly female journalists, faced on a daily basis.
The types of sexual violence the respondents experienced range from sexual harassment, including unwanted touching, inappropriately sexual messages and catcalling, to rape.
The survey also found that the places where they experienced sexual violence also varied: at their workplaces, on public transportation and while out in the field gathering data and information on breaking stories. Among the locations mentioned specifically include the Senayan legislative complex in South Jakarta, the offices of political parties and the private residence of a journalistic source.
As for the types of offenders, the majority of 13 respondents said their attackers were public officials. Others pointed to fellow journalists as the perpetrators of sexual violence, ranging from colleagues and senior journalists at their workplace to journalists of other media outlets.
