Alleged rape victims violated again by media<\/p>\n
Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Teen soap opera actor Faisal strutted and posed confidently for
\nthe cameras, making light of rape allegations lodged by an 18-
\nyear-old ex-girlfriend.<\/p>\n
"She's the one who forced me into sexual intercourse... Even
\nif I did rape (a woman), why wouldn't I have picked a beautiful
\none?" the 19 year old said.<\/p>\n
While the United States is gripped by the trial of basketball
\nstar Kobe Bryant for allegedly raping a young woman, local media
\nhas been whipped up into a frenzy about Faisal and his accuser.<\/p>\n
Celebrity gossip tabloids and TV shows have been vying to land
\nthe latest scoop about the allegations, trundling out the young
\nstar's mother, his coworkers and fans to protest his innocence.<\/p>\n
While the onus is on the woman to prove her allegations in
\ncourt, she is also called on to justify herself in the court of
\npublic opinion, presided over by a skeptical tabloid media, in
\nwhich concerns for privacy are judged inconsequential.<\/p>\n
The past sexual history of Faisal's accuser has been dredged
\nup, and she has been described as promiscuous. One TV gossip show
\ninterviewed a former boyfriend who alleged he had sex with the
\nwoman, and showed his home movie of her joking around for the
\ncamera.<\/p>\n
"Well, if her allegation is true, then why isn't she brave
\nenough to show her face?" sniffed one TV presenter after a camera
\ncrew came up empty-handed after camping out at the woman's home.<\/p>\n
The dissection of the woman's background and personality is
\neerily similar to the Bryant case, where the young woman's
\nhistory of emotional problems has been served up for public
\nconsumption and an old high school prom picture, showing her
\nsaucily lifting her skirt, has been published.<\/p>\n
Of course, rape is a serious and damning allegation, but the
\nmedia seems star-struck in reporting about Faisal, who has been
\ndeclared a suspect but argues that he had consensual sex with the
\nwoman.<\/p>\n
Faisal has told his side of the story to the tabloids; in
\nreturn, they have waxed on about his youthful handsomeness, his
\nthick eyebrows and beautiful aquiline nose, and pointed out that
\nhe has always played the good boy in TV series.<\/p>\n
The inference is that the young woman -- loose and no great
\nbeauty -- must have concocted the rape allegation out of
\njealousy, a desire to grab some of the celebrity spotlight.<\/p>\n
"That is so sexist. Pretty or not, anyone can become a rape
\nvictim," said woman's rights activist and legal expert
\nNursyahbani Katjasungkana.<\/p>\n
Media observer Veven S.P. Wardhana said that local media still
\ncannot position itself as a sympathetic but objective party in
\nits treatment of alleged rape victims.<\/p>\n
"They always focus on the physical description of the victims,
\nlike having fair skin and all. That's irrelevant. It's almost
\nsaying that because of her fair skin, she deserves to be raped,"
\nVeven said.<\/p>\n
Biased coverage is also not exclusive to the scandal sheets,
\nhe added, noting that it is also done by mainstream publications
\nand women's magazines.<\/p>\n
"A women's tabloid once even published a picture of a child
\nwho was raped. Imagine the girl's pain and embarrassment. Women's
\npublications are supposedly more sensitive, but the facts prove
\notherwise," he said.<\/p>\n
Nursyahbani said local journalists also lacked an
\nunderstanding about the different forms that rape can take, aside
\nfrom the standard definition of forced sexual intercourse.<\/p>\n
"While there are others concepts, such as sexual intercourse
\nwithout consent, oral sex. Maybe it's because in Bahasa
\nIndonesia, the vocabulary and understanding is still limited.
\nWhile in English there's rape, sexual assault and sexual
\nharassment," she said.<\/p>\n
Fed up by the media coverage, the mother of Faisal's accuser
\nwent to the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas
\nPerempuan), seeking support for her daughter.<\/p>\n
After the meeting on Nov. 6, the head of Komnas Perempuan's
\nmonitoring subcommission, Murniati, warned journalists to tone
\ndown their coverage.<\/p>\n
"The press has to consider carefully the victim's
\npsychological circumstances. Publicity can leave the victim more
\ndepressed," she said.<\/p>\n
However, in what some found a strange position to take for an
\ninstitution entrusted as a guardian of women's interests, the
\ncommission said it did not believe the complaint should have been
\nbrought to its attention.<\/p>\n
As biased and sexist coverage can be considered violence
\nagainst women, perhaps the institution best suited to handling
\nsuch a dispute is the media governing body of the Press Council.<\/p>\n
Unfortunately, the council itself has no rules about biased
\ncoverage in rape cases.<\/p>\n
"There is no specific point about that in the journalistic
\ncode of ethics. It's just the question of appropriateness. It is
\nthe same as covering war victims -- we shouldn't expose pictures
\nof the wounded," said council head Ikhlasul Amal.<\/p>\n
Complaints can be addressed to the Council, who will later
\nsummon the media in question.<\/p>\n
"They have to provide clarification, an apology or sanction
\nthe reporters. If they refuse, we will publish a press release
\nabout them. I think that will be embarrassing enough for the
\nmedia," Ikhlasul said.<\/p>\n
It's doubtful the offending media's embarrassment, if any,
\ncompares to the shame of those women brave enough to come forward
\nto face their own trial by fire.<\/p>",
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