During the event, Press Council chairperson Ninik Rahayu pointed out that 28 cases of violence against journalists were recorded in the first half of this year.
The forms of violence include terror, intimidation, gender-based violence, physical violence, and digital attacks, she noted.
Digital attacks through messaging apps, especially targeting journalists covering corruption cases, were the most common.
"Many journalists stop covering these cases as a result," Rahayu said.
A study by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) revealed that 82.6 percent of female journalist respondents have experienced sexual violence while working.
Rahayu acknowledged existing mechanisms like the Press Council's violence task force but emphasized the insufficiency of state-provided protection for the press.
"We must admit that we are still slow in this regard," she added.
Therefore, she called for a higher-level regulation to handle cases of violence against journalists and the upgrading of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Press Council and AGO to an Attorney General's regulation.
She also called for converting the MoU between the Press Council and the National Police into a Polri Chief's regulation.
On the same occasion, the head of AGO's Legal Information Center, Harli Siregar, emphasized the importance of cooperation with the Press Council to improve protection for journalists.
He expressed hope that the discussion will lead to positive follow-up and enhance collaboration between the AGO and the Press Council.
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Translator: Nadia R, Kenzu
Editor: Anton Santoso
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