Anita Rachman – With several rape and sexual assault cases dominating the news recently, a crucial question has so far been given little attention: Is media coverage of the cases proper and ethical?

"Has the media become a violator as well?" Rach Alida Bahaweres, the women's division coordinator of the Alliance of Indonesian Journalists (AJI), said in a discussion held by the division and the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) on Wednesday.

Alida said her division had monitored several violations of ethics among media companies that published the identities or photos of victims of the recent rape and sexual assault cases.

One example was a newspaper, which she declined to name, that showed a photo of an alleged angkot minivan rape victim, albeit with her eyes covered by a black line. Another example was coverage by several news Web sites on a rape case involving the wife of a police officer.

"[One of the sites] showed the picture of the woman's house," she said, "even though it is clear that Article 5 of the Ethics Code says Indonesian journalists are not to mention or broadcast the identity of victims of immoral crime or disclose the identity of the perpetrators' children."

Another example, Alida said, was the case of presenter Olga Syahputra, Alida, who received a barrage of criticism after making a joke about rape during a live performance. During it, Olga performed a segment dressed as a ghost. When asked how he had died, he answered: "It's insignificant, I got raped by an angkot driver."

Although AJI said it didn't have figures for the number of recent ethics violations by media companies, Alida said the alliance was concerned about the issue. "Media outlets need to be reminded that they should follow the Code of Ethics in reporting such cases," she said.

AJI suggested that media companies remember that they are responsible for equipping their journalists with skills and knowledge on various issues, including gender and human rights, through training. It also urged media to protect the identity of sexual assault victims.

Masruchah, deputy chairwoman of Komnas Perempuan, said she shared the same concerns. There has been much sloppy coverage of sexual assault cases that lacked a respect for human rights and gender, she said.

Print, broadcast and online media are often careless in reporting such stories, she said. Many still mention victims' names and addresses. "It happens all the time, including in local media outlets," she said.

Masruchah said the media, which in a democracy is supposed to play the role of informing the public, should demonstrate a better understanding of gender issues. "But it turns out there are many that still don't comprehend this," she said.

Press Council member Uni Lubis said journalists' knowledge needed to be refreshed regularly, especially when it comes to ethics and standards.

She added that media companies had a responsibility to train their journalists at least once each year. It was the right of every journalist, she said, to ask their employers for knowledge and skills training.

The Press Council has held thousands of training sessions, at which journalists are always reminded of the importance of gender and human rights in reporting certain cases, she said.

But given the number of journalists in Indonesia – about 30,000 by one count – the Press Council could not carry out the training alone, she said.

"Responsibility to equip journalists with knowledge and skills lies in the hand of [media] companies and journalist organizations as well as the Press Council. Training doesn't have to be expensive. We can talk about the Code of Ethics just in the newsroom," she said.

In the meantime, Uni said, journalists could seek help from third parties about how to interview on sensitive subjects, like rape. That would allow them to better do their work, she said.

Masruchah said the idea was worth considering, and Komnas Perempuan could assist. She said the commission was ready for cooperation with journalists and media companies in the issue.

Some countries have made it an offense for media outlets to reveal the name of the victim of sexual crimes.