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IWD rally in Yogyakarta demands end to violence against women journalists

Source
Tempo - March 8, 2020

Budiarti Utami Putri, Jakarta – The Yogyakarta Independent Journalist Alliance (AJI) is urging that the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence (RUU PKS) be ratified immediately.

Yogyakarta AJI Chairperson Shinta Maharani said women journalists are vulnerable to experiencing violence in the workplace and in public when doing their job.

"Women journalists need solidarity to fight various forms of sexual violence", said Maharani in a statement on International Women's Day (IWD) in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Sunday March 8.

Maharani said that in 2017 AJI recorded at least three case of sexual violence against women journalists in the work place or on the job. These cases were reported by the victims.

The three cases involved sexual violence against four media workers at the Antara state news agency offices, sexual violence against a Radar Ngawi apprentice reporter and sexual violence against women journalists on the job in Medan, North Sumatra, allegedly committed by members of the air force.

Maharani said that women are the group which is most vulnerable to violence in conflict areas, one of which is Papua. She said that journalists need to be given the broadest possible access to report in Papua.

According to Maharani, the government must open up the broadest possible access to journalists to convey information to the public by being transparent in accordance with the Freedom of Information Law.

"International Women's Day is an important moment for women journalists to reflect and continue to be active in fighting for democracy and human rights", said the Tempo journalist.

[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Hari Perempuan Internasional, AJI Yogya Dukung Pengesahan RUU PKS".]

Source: https://nasional.tempo.co/read/1317089/hari-perempuan-internasional-aji-yogya-dukung-pengesahan-ruu-pks

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