Adriana Venny: media do not protect victims<\/p>\n
A. Junaidi, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The chief editor of prestigious feminist publication Jurnal
\nPerempuan (Women's Journal), Adriana Venny, is concerned about
\nviolence and the exploitation of women in the mass media,
\nparticularly television.<\/p>\n
\"If we look at the media, especially television, it is as
\nthough there are no regulations,\" Venny said in an interview with
\nThe Jakarta Post recently.<\/p>\n
She said television programs such as crime news and soap
\noperas -- locally known as sinetron -- were blatantly violent and
\noffered no perspectives that could help victims.<\/p>\n
She said that she, along with several non-governmental
\norganizations advocating child protection, had protested the
\nairing of a sinetron featuring child trafficking by a private
\ntelevision network.<\/p>\n
\"The film, which told about girl who was sold by her mother,
\nwas extremely violent. The TV station finally stopped airing the
\nseries after we protested,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Venny, who was born on May 22, 1970, in Semarang, Central
\nJava, said the lack of the victims' perspective could also be
\nseen in news programs that revealed the identities of the victims
\nof women trafficking.<\/p>\n
Venny, the mother of an 18-month-old daughter, said the newly
\nestablished Indonesian Broadcasting Commission (KPI) had done
\nnothing to stop the exploitation of women and violence on
\ntelevision.<\/p>\n
\"Although the KPI has urged television stations not to air
\nprograms that exploit women and children, it has set out no
\ndetailed criteria or sanctions at all,\" said Venny, who is
\ncurrently pursuing her doctorate at the University of Indonesia's
\nSchool of Philosophy.<\/p>\n
She urged television stations to censor vulgar words and
\nviolent images in sinetron and news programs, as well as
\nallocating time for public service advertisements.<\/p>\n
She said regulations, along with sanctions, were needed to
\nhelp reduce the number of programs exploiting women and
\ncontaining violence.<\/p>\n
\"If television stations had to pay fines for airing programs
\nthat contained violence, they would not air such programs,\" she
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Besides soap operas and news programs, she said the
\nobjectification of women could also be seen in many
\nadvertisements, such as those for skin-whitening cosmetics.<\/p>\n
\"It appears in these ads that white-skinned women are more
\nbeautiful or better than black-skinned women, although that's not
\ntrue,\" said Venny, who wrote a thesis on feminist philosopher
\nSimone de Beauvoir for her master's degree at the University of
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
Venny, who is also the executive director of the Yayasan
\nJurnal Perempuan foundation, believes the lack of a gender
\nperspective among media people contributes to the continued
\nobjectification of women.<\/p>\n
The objectification of women and violence in the mass media,
\nparticularly television, and their impact on people inspired
\nVenny to launch the Remaja Melek Media (Teen Media Awareness)
\ncampaign.<\/p>\n
Discussions on how to view critically mass media programs that
\ncontain violence and certain patriarchal values have been held by
\nthe foundation at high schools in several cities throughout the
\ncountry.<\/p>\n
Besides publishing the journal and many books, the foundation
\nalso produces documentary videos and radio programs on women's
\nrights that air on 177 radio stations across the country.<\/p>\n
\"We produce the programs and the stations air them once a
\nweek, free of charge,\" said Venny, who received her bachelor's
\ndegree in international relations from Parahyangan University in
\nBandung, West Java.<\/p>\n
She said one of the radio programs on the pros and cons of
\nabortion drew protest from a fundamentalist group when it was
\naired by a radio station in Surakarta, Central Java, a few years
\nago.<\/p>\n
\"Although we gave it balance, it still caused protests. But
\nthey did not last,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Venny, who replaced Gadis Arivia, a feminist and lecturer at
\nthe University of Indonesia, as chief editor and executive
\ndirector at the journal in June this year, often helps the
\njournal's readers, mostly middle and upper-income women, who face
\npsychological and legal problems.<\/p>\n
She said most of the problems related to violence, marriage
\nand divorce.<\/p>\n
\"Almost every day we receive phone calls from our readers
\nasking for consultations. They have encountered a specific
\nproblem, especially dealing with legal affairs, such as divorce.\"<\/p>\n
She said legal aid foundations, such as the Legal Aid
\nInstitute of the Women's Association for Justice (LBH-APIK),
\nrefused to help some women who come from the middle-to-upper
\nlayers in society.<\/p>\n
She said hiring a lawyer to handle a divorce case currently
\ncosts at least Rp 10 million.<\/p>\n
\"We have friends who are professional lawyers who charge a
\n'discount price' of Rp 7 million. But it's still expensive for
\nmost of the women,\" she said.<\/p>\n
She hopes the foundation will be able to establish a legal aid
\ninstitute of its own that can help women regardless of their
\neconomic status.<\/p>\n
\"Women, whether they come from the lower, middle or upper
\nclasses, are actually in a weak position in dealing with many
\nproblems, including legal affairs,\" she said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/adriana-venny-media-do-not-protect-victims-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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