Dina Indrasafitri, Jakarta – An AIDS activist from Surabaya, East Java and a Jakarta-based journalism watchdog have won prestigious awards given by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).

AJI announced on Tuesday that Esthi Susanti Hudiono, the Executive Director for the Hotline Surabaya Foundation had won this year's SK Trimurti award for campaigning for gender equality, while the Legal Aid Foundation for the Press (LBH Pers) won the Tasrif Award for its continuing struggle for press freedom.

According to Andy Yentriyani of the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan), one of this year's judges for the SK Trimurti award, Esthi had earned the award due to her relentless advocacy for the reproductive and sexual rights – as well as the basic human rights – of sex workers.

"Her decision to fight for this cause regularly puts her in a position where she has to deal with challenges from the community and stigma," Andy said.

Esthi's Hotline Surabaya Foundation deals with issues of child sexual exploitation and human trafficking. The foundation traces its roots to a column that she edits for the Surabaya-based Surya daily.

Her other achievements include initiating and drafting an East Java bylaw on AIDS prevention and mitigation. She is considered as having played a crucial role in the adoption of the ordinance, the first of its kind in the country.

Previous winners of the SK Trimurti award include Masruchah, who is now the deputy chair of Komnas Perempuan, and Maria Farida Indrati, a Constitutional Court judge.

The SK Trimurti award is named after Soerastri Karma Trimurti – a female journalist born in the Dutch colonial era and a former minister of labor in the Sukarno administration. Trimurti's firm stance against colonialism landed her in prison several times and led to her being tortured.

The AJI named LBH Pers winner of the Tasrif award for its role in defending the freedom of the press. The Tasrif award was inspired by Suardi Tasrif, who is considered the author of the Code of Ethics among Indonesian journalists.

This year, the AJI did not give out the Udin award, which is usually given to a journalist who has become a victim of violence. The AJI's Aryo Wisanggeni said none of the country's journalists qualified for the award.

The AJI also named the National Police and the House of Representatives as enemies of press freedom for 2012.

The two institutions share the award for doing nothing to defend press freedom. "Between August 2011 and July 2012, there were 45 cases of violence against journalists... but the police did nothing to take action against the perpetrators," he said.

The House won the award for endorsing the State Intelligence Law, which could allow the government to become less transparent and more secretive.