Models complain of voyeurism

Models complain of voyeurism

Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The modest house on Jl. Asem Baris Raya in South Jakarta may not
look particularly impressive, but it is in the center of a tale
that has grabbed the nation's attention with its combination of
sex and celebrities.

The house is actually a well-known photo studio that
specializes in print advertisement shoots, and allegedly the
location were secret videos were taken of models as they went
through wardrobe changes.

The Budi Han photo studio was quiet on Friday, with its owner,
Budi Han, and his assistants now being detained at the Jakarta
Police Headquarters. They have been charged with distributing
nude photos of seven models, including Rachel Maryam, Femmy
Permatasari, Sarah Azhari and Shanty.

According to the models, the crime took place in 1997, when
most of them were still teenagers struggling to break into the
entertainment industry. They claim they were sent to the photo
studio to shoot print advertisements for various food and
beverage products.

"While I was changing my clothes in the studio's bathroom --
where I thought it was only me and the wardrobe lady -- someone
else was taking photos without my knowledge or my approval,"
model/actress Rachel said.

According to the police, the footage was taken through a two-
way mirror in the bathroom, which also functioned as a changing
room. The mirror was reportedly removed when the room was
renovated in 2002.

Sinetron (TV soap opera) actress Femmy, during a media
conference late last month, called the secret filming of her a
"barbaric act". The footage of the models has been widely
distributed through video compact discs (VCD) and the Internet.

The women reported the case to the police in the middle of
March, after the images hit the illegal VCD market in Glodok,
West Jakarta. In their complaint, the women said the footage
could severely affect their careers and private lives.

Legal expert and human rights activist Nursyahbani
Katjasungkana of the Coalition of Indonesian Women said this was
the first case of its kind to grab the public's attention, so the
police should make it an example in a campaign to end violence
against women.

"Pornography is one form of violence against women because the
object (of pornography) is always women and their bodies. I hope
the police can slap heavy charges on the suspects and stop this
sort of crime altogether," Nursyahbani told The Jakarta Post on
Friday.

The police detained six suspects in the case on April 6. The
six were Budi Han and his assistants Benhur Karjaya and Kodin bin
Walid, Benny Gunardi Ginting, an employee of AIM Advertising, and
VCD distributors Antonius, Muso and Rudy Hartono.

Budi Han has repeatedly proclaimed his innocence, saying he
was unaware the footage had been taken. The police, however, have
confronted him with a statement from Suparno, a former assistant
at the studio, who said that Budi Han did know of the crime.

Budi Han and the other suspects have been charged with
violating Article 282 of the Criminal Code on disseminating
indecent information or pictures, which carries a maximum
punishment of two years and eight months in prison.

The police also have charged the suspects under Article 283 of
the Criminal Code, which states that if the violation of Article
282 is related to the offender's profession then the offender can
be banned from that profession.

Over the course of the investigation, the police added another
charge against the suspects, this one for violating Article 40 of
Law No. 8/1992 on the movie industry, which deals with
disseminating, exporting or showing footage that does not pass
the censor board.

The article carries a more severe maximum punishment of five
years in jail plus a Rp 50 million (about US$5,600) fine.

Nursyahbani and another legal expert, Harkristuti Harkrisnowo,
said the charges were too light.

"It's not the distribution of the footage that matters, but
that these photos were taken. The police can charge the suspects
with theft or charge them under the adaptable article on
antisocial behavior," Harkristuti said.

Nursyahbani, who is offering informal legal advice to Femmy,
said she would suggest that the models also file a civil suit
against the suspects in order to win monetary compensation for
their suffering.