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Covering Children

From Privacy to Violence In Indonesia


Uni Z. Lubis, Press Council/ANTV Chief Editor

Violence on Children
Increasing Case Trend. Data from Indonesia Commission for Child Protection, in 2008 there was 1,726 reports on Violence againts Children handled by Comission. In 2009, the number increase to 1,998 cases, and on May 2010, there is 1,826 cases

Law 23/2002 on Child Protection


Article 2 The implementation of the protection fot children is based on principles of the Pancasila (Indonesia Govt Philosophy) and on the Constitution 1945 as well as the basic principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Children, which cover: - Non discrimination; - prioritizing was is the best for children - the right to life, to perpetuation of life, and to development; and - respect fot the opinion of the child Article 24 The state and govt guarantee that the child can use his/her right to convey his/her opinion in accordance with the childs age and level of intelligence/education

Indonesias Country Report On Welfare and The Protection of Children


Law No 23/2002 regarding Child: Child is every human being under the age of eighteen, including the womb. Indonesia has about 85 million children or 30% out of total population Every year about 4,5 million are born, high infant mortality rate (34/100). Sixty percent of newborn children do not have birth certificates and registered anywhere .. Heightens the life of exploitation, age and identity falsification UNICEF 2009: Three million children work in potential occupations. At least 30% of female sex workers in Indonesia under 18 years of age, with children as young as 10 are forced into prostitution. An estimated 100,000 women and children are trafficked annually, mostly as commercial sex workers in Indonesia and abroad. Around 12% of females are married at or before tha age of 15. Some 4,000 to 5,000 children are in detention centers, correction facilities and prisons; 84% of those sentenced are detained with adult criminals. Latest data from Indonesia Comission for Child Protection, more than 7,000 juvenils are in detention facilities and prisons across the nation. More than 85% of Indonesia children who are broght to court for crimes are sentenced to prison

The other issue of concern is the special vulnerability of children (and women) in conflict or disaster afftected communities, including more than 2,000 children left parentless and many more psychologically affected after the tsunami that struck Aceh and Nort Sumatera on December 26, 2004 For children who were exposed to Natural Disaster, Indonesia Government established Childrens Center to provide better protection for Children who were victims. According to UN World Fit for Children Report, in 2006 the government developed a children-friendly villages programme in 50 villages in Aceh. Most of them not operated now.
..Philippines established: Mainstreaming Children Rights in Local Development Planning

Children in Indonesia as elsewhere around the world experience violence at home, on the street,at school and among fellow children. But, mostly this violence is hidden or unreported due to prevailing view that it is part of disciplining the children With so many Indonesia children in vulnerable situations, the promotion of welfare and protection of children is a key challenge for our national initiatives <<THE ROLE OF THE MEDIA Raising Awareness To achieve A World Fit for Children, the Government has launced a National Program for Indonesia Children2015. This program serves as reference for all stake holders in Indonesias child welfare and protection. There are four focus areas in programme: 1)Promotion of healthy living; 2) Quality education; 3) Special protection; and 4) Preventon of HIV/AIDS

Special Protection (got more media attention,based on case reported)


The government guarantees the rights of all children to obtain special protection in situations of emergency, among which: economic exploitation and any worst forms of exploitation, including child labor, Children in conflict with law situation, Children in Conflict and Violence For Child Labor, Govt guarantees the right of all chindren from any exploitation that can endanger the child, distrupt his/he education, his/her physical and moral well-being, his/her social and mental spiritual life (Article 64 of Law No 39 /1999 regading Human Rights) For protecting children from sexual exploitation, Govt has launched a National Action-Plan for the Eradication of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (RAN-PESKA) to expedite the implementation of Child Protection Law (Article 59, Law No 23/2002 regarding Child Protection) The challenge remain. Govt expedite the ratification of the Optimal Protocol to Convention on the Rights of the Child on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography; promote public awareness on the issue of commercial sexual exploitation of children; develop data system on child sexual exploitation;and intensify dissemination of RAN-PESKA at provincial level

Special Protection..
Regarding Children in conflict with Law/ABH, The Govt guarantees the right for every person to legal recognition, guarantee protection, and certainty and fair equal treatment.This guarantee is stipulated in Article 28D (1) of the 1945 Constitution and the article 18 and 59 of Law No 23/2002 regarding Child Protection and Law No 3/1997 regarding Juvenile Justice. Challenges faced: procedural errors still occur during arrest, detention, trial and imprisonment, as well as in the fulfilment of the rights of children to not answer matters beyond their knowledge >>> 16 Child Prisons in 33 Provinces, many children have to share room with adult prisoners,with various case included drugs <<< The Basic Role of Media as Watch Dog In term of Children in conflict situation, Indonesia guarantees the rights of children not to be involved in wars, armed conflicts, social unrest, and other events involving violence. This states guarantee is stipulated in Law No 3/1999 regarding Human Rights and Article 63 and 87 of Law No 23/2002 regarding Child Protection

Indonesia Media Landscape: A Half Free Press


Print media: Within 2 years after Press Law 1999, numbers had grown from less than 300 print media in operation in early 1999, to 2,000. Market realities resulted in the majority of them going out of business soon after they were established, but the trend for establishing print media nevertheless continued, and data confirm just over 952 print media in operation as of the end of 2010 (Press Council, 2010). But, the local politics boost the new players each year for about 250-270 newspapers. The Indonesia Press Law 1999 opening opportunity for everybody to start-up publishing the media without license from the Ministry of Information like in the past, under former President Soeharto regime. Radio: Today, it offers listeners a wide variety of content, and ownership is similarly diverse. Of the estimated 2,500 local radio stations across the archipelago - up from around 700 in the Soeharto era - around 480 are community stations. Approximately 60 are stations that are part of the state radio network, Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI), and another 60 are local governmentowned, leaving approximately 2,000 privately owned stations.

Television: Before May 1998, there were only 6 TV stations, 5 of them private and one the state owned Televisi Republik Indonesia (TVRI) - all of which were owned by relatives of the then-President or his close associates. Today, at the national level, there are 10 national terrestrial television channels owned by large companies, TVRI, and a growing number of cable and satellite providers, with digitalisation destined to further expand the choices on offer. Within just 7 years after the ending of prohibition of local television (May 1998), the number of stations had multiplied to 65. Today, local stations number over 250 and ownership is varied. Some offer programmes that incorporate not only local news but also debates on the workings of local government. Viewer participation in such discussions is often encouraged, and some local television stations are also making efforts to investigate corruption, environmental degradation, and other topics of public concern included covering children The radio and television enjoying the opportunity given by Broadcast Law No 32/2002, which allows the local TV and Radio, as well as Community TV and Radio, in the spirit of Diversity of Ownership and Content.

The internet: In 1998 there were 134,000 subscribers and 512,000 users, by 2007 those numbers had jumped to 2,000,000 and 25,000,000, respectively. Today, despite the weaknesses in broadband infrastructure, Indonesia Internet users at about 35 million, thanks to the huge bulk of youth population among 237 million population. Kompas Cyber Media's dedicated internet news portal and the online news leader DeTik got serious challenge from newest online media, especially www.vivanews.com which provide Media Convergence experience for the consumers through collaborative video content from tvONE, one of News TV station broadcast 24 hours, and ANTV as a general entertainment TV which provide different contents in News, Current Affairs program. Indonesia also boasts a growing number of bloggers, and social networking sites such as Facebook are proving "hugely popular". Indonesia is in the 2nd Rank of Facebook users after USA, with nearly 45 million users and number 3rd in Twitter with 7 million users. There are 4 million blogs in this country.

Press Regulation
Press Law No 40/1999. Since the fall of Soeharto in 1998, print media have enjoyed a far greater degree of freedom than ever before. The current Press Law was adopted to replace Law No 11/1966 (modified with law No 1/1967 and amanded with Law No 21/1982). It was developed in the mids of post-Soeharto reform movement, with the help of international bodies such as the UN Educactional, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and ARTICLE 19. Many factors that had previously restricted press freedom, such as licensing regulations and extensive content restriction were repealed when the new law became effective Press Law provides for protection for press freedom in several places, based on sovereignity of the people, as well as democracy, justice and human rights. Press Law covering the broadcast journalistic products. But, there are Broadcast Law No 32/2002 which regulating broadcasting industry included the contents also journalistic contents.

after the 3-4 years of honeymoon between media, politicians, civil society and the public, came the reality: low quality of journalist could harm the public and threatening the freedom of the press it self. Public criticsm was growing, from the politicians, groups of people, to the government it self. The freedom of the press seen as too strong, and some of the press using it excessively without honouring the code of ethics and public interest. External threat increases. The Press Council, in its year-end statement issued Dec. 29 2010, records 25 cases of violence against journalists and the media throughout 2010. The violence took the form of intimidation, verbal abuse, damage to reporting equipment, pro-perty damage, prevention of co-verage, lock-ups, physical harm and murder. The perpetrators are diverse: public officials, government office employees, artists, members of the public and thugs who may have been hired by disgruntled business people or state officials. The Alliance of Independent Journalists, AJI Indonesia, counted 46 acts of violence against journalists in 2010, up from 37 in 2009. It cited one murder and three mysterious deaths.

Media Covering Children, The Challenges


Freedom of Expression vs The Rights of Children protected from Privacy and Journalism Ethic Violation Reforms brings hundreds new media organizations, thousands journalists. Indonesia has about 30,000 journalists >>> 80% of them have not understand the code of ethics >>> Enhance Professionalism is a must..Press Council doing certification programme based on journalism competency standar

The approach:IFJ Guidelines for Journalist (Putting Children in the Right)


Images of the children how do we take and use striking images of children while at the same time respecting human dignity Interviewing children what special skills are needed to collect reliable information from vulnerable children about their feelings and experiences without abusing their trust or putting them at risk?s HIV?AIDS where do the myths come from and how and how can media professionals assist children to apreciate the facts? Stereotypes to whgat extend does the media perpetuate gender and cultural stereotypes about children, particularly in developing countries what sort of coverage would challenge these attitudes? Alternative sources hbow we can build reliable relationships of mutual trust with NGO? -- ICRC

Indonesia Journalism Code of Ethic http://www.eyeonethics.org/journalist-code-of-ethics-in-asia/code-ofethics-of-the-indonesian-journalist/

Freedom of opinion, expression, and the press are human rights protected under the Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, and the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Freedom of the press is a public means to obtain information and to communicate for the purpose to meet a basic need and enhance the quality of human life. In instituting press freedom, the Indonesian journalist is also mindful of the nations interest, his/her social responsibility, societys diversity, and religious norms. In executing its functions, rights, obligations and role, the press respects the basic rights of every person, and as such the press is called upon to be professional and open to public scrutiny. To ensure press freedom and to meet the public right to obtain correct information, the Indonesian journalist requires a moral foundation and professional ethics as guidance for securing the public trust and upholding integrity and professionalism. On this basis the journalists of Indonesia establish and adhere to the Journalism Code of Ethics.

Article 2 The Indonesian journalist adheres to professional methods in the execution of a journalistic assignment Interpretation Professional methods are a. identifying oneself to the news source; b. respect a persons right to privacy; c. no bribing; d. producing a factual news story with clear news sources; e. the taking and mounting of or the broadcasting of pictures, photos, and sound is furnished with information about the source and presented in a balanced way; f. respect the traumatic experience of a news source in presenting pictures, photos, sound; g. refrain from plagiarism, including the stating of another journalists work as his/her own; h. the use of certain methods can be contemplated in investigative reporting for the public interest.

Article 5 The Indonesian journalist does not disclose and broadcast the identity of victims of a sexually-exploitative crime and refrains from identifying a minor who committed a criminal act. Interpretation a. Identity is all data and information concerning a person that would make it easy for others to trace. b. A minor is a person under 16 years of age and is not yet married. Article 9 The Indonesian journalist respects the right of the news sources private life except in the public interest. Interpretation a. Respecting the right of the news source constitutes an attitude of tolerance and caution. b. Private life pertains to all matters of life of an individual and his or her family other than what is linked with the public interest.

Broadcasting Law No 32/2002


Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) Regulate the Content of Broadcasting Services (TV and Radio) In 2003, one year after the launch of the law, the Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (Komisi Penyiaran Indonesia), an independent state body, was established in the capital city (Jakarta). It was followed by the establishments of KPID (regional KPI) in 33 provinces. At national level, KPI consists of 9 members,and at provincial level, KPID consists of 7 members. They are elected through a very selective process (including fit & propper test) by members of DPR (DPRD at provincial level). According to the Law, their function and role include: *setting the Broadcast Code of Conduct and Broadcast Standards, *monitoring and giving guidance for broadcast programming, *giving sanctions for violations, *issuing and withdrawing broadcast license.

Broadcasting Code of Conduct on Children


Article 38. Children and Youth as Resources In the broadcast programs involving children and adolescents as a resource, broadcasters must comply with the following provisions: a. Prohibited from interviewing children and adolescents younger than 18 years on matters beyond their capacity to answer, such as death, divorce, infidelity parents and families as well as the traumatic impact of violence b. Must consider the security and future of children and adolescents, the informant and / or c. Should disguise the identity of children and youth related issues with the police or the judicial process, involved sexual crimes and victims of sexual crimes

End.
Covering Children from Violence to Privacy Violation case become weekly assigment for Indonesian Journalists Applying highly standard of journalism on stories related with children will bring benefit not only for the children, and the future of the nation, but also one of the important element of journalism: promoting the right of the voiceless The right to freedom of expression is always important to media professionals, but has to be balanced againts other important rights most notably the rights to child to freedom from fear and exploitation

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