The ILO, through its joint ILO-UN Women Safe and Fair Programme under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative, in partnership with the Alliance of Indonesian Journalists (AJI) Jakarta organized a series of media engagement programmes.

The ILO, through its joint ILO-UN Women Safe and Fair Programme under the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative , in partnership with the Alliance of Indonesian Journalists (AJI) Jakarta organized a series of media engagement programmes. The programmes are part of a comprehensive initiative to promote safe and fair migration for all Indonesian women that contribute to the elimination of all forms of violence against women (EVAW) migrant workers and human trafficking for forced labour.

Improving reporting on labour migration to ensure fair and ethical portrayal of gender perspectives can play an important role in better protecting and empowering women migrant workers and in reducing negative public attitudes and perceptions." Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia

The media are instrumental in shaping public perceptions about labour migration, which can in turn influence policy and practice. Coverage of labour migration tends to focus on cases against migrants and often can unwittingly perpetuate negative stereotypes about migrant workers, especially women, increasing their vulnerability to discrimination and abuse.

Through the engagement programme, the joint ILO-UN Women Safe and Fair Programme and AJI Jakarta gathered 25 journalists from national and regional online, print, and electronic media to participate in the three-day journalist training programme, “Strengthening Gender Lens and Ethical Journalism on Labour Migration and Violence against Women Migrant Workers”, held from 15 to17 October. The training programme was opened by Thibaut Portevin, Head of Cooperation of the European Union to Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam and Michiko Miyamoto, Country Director of the ILO in Indonesia.

“Improving reporting on labour migration to ensure fair and ethical portrayal of gender perspectives can play an important role in better protecting and empowering women migrant workers and in reducing negative public attitudes and perceptions,” she said.

Obtaining media commitment

Prior to the training programme, an editorial meeting was conducted, attended by 12 editors from national and regional media. In the editorial meeting, the participating editors recognized that labour migration was an important issue considering Indonesia is one of the countries of origin, from where a large number of workers migrate to work abroad, of whom 67 percent are women with the majority of them work in the domestic and care works. 

They also agreed that there is a need for the media to be knowledgeable and have a better understanding about the complexities of labour migration in its every cycle, particularly issues related to gender-sensitivity and violence against women migrant workers.

The training programme was an immediate follow-up to the editorial meeting. During the training programme, participating journalists learned about existing regulations on labour migration including the Law No. 18/2017 on the Protection of Indonesia Migrant Workers and relevant international standards, such as the ILO’s Domestic Workers Convention, 2011 (No. 189) on the rights of domestic workers, and the ILO’s Violence and Harassment Convention, 2019 (No. 190) as well as the International Conventions on the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families.

They also learned about gender-sensitive languages and lens as well as ethical journalism to provide fair gender portrayal.

Dehumanizing term like “Illegal migrant” is another example that connote migrants are criminals, which can condone negative attitudes. Thus, we hope that the glossary can contribute to shaping positive perceptions and better understanding of women migrant workers." Sinthia Harkrisnowo, the ILO’s project coordinator for Safe and Fair Programme

The training also provided an opportunity for the journalists to have a “real experience” visiting one of the integrated of Gender Responsive Migrant Workers Resources Centre (MRC) and the One-Roof Integrated Services (LTSA) in Cirebon, West Java. 

Through a live virtual tour, the journalists were taken to observe and examine services provided by the integrated MCR-LTSA: Outreach services to villages, pre-employment consultation, psycho-social counseling service, case handling, legal aid, training for prospective Indonesia migrant workers and the provision of authoritative information. 

To help the media developing responsible and ethical reporting on labour migration and gender-based violence and discrimination against migrant workers, the ILO also launched the Indonesian version of media-friendly glossary on migration (EVAW edition)  during the editorial meeting and media training. The glossary serves as a guide for media professionals when writing or reporting about women’s labour migration or violence against women in the context of migration. 

Sinthia Harkrisnowo, the ILO’s project coordinator for Safe and Fair Programme, emphasized that the languages and words used in the media can reinforce the stereotypes associated with such women. For example, words such as “maid” or “servant” are often used to describe “domestic workers” that provides a false sense that does not recognize domestic work as a type of employment with corresponding labour rights. 

"Dehumanizing term like “Illegal migrant” is another example that connote migrants are criminals, which can condone negative attitudes. Thus, we hope that the glossary can contribute to shaping positive perceptions and better understanding of women migrant workers,” added Sinthia.

Enhancing reporting on labour migration

Labour migration journalist training

The training programme was concluded with the submission and selection of labour migration reporting ideas as part of the journalism fellowship programme, which will cover issues such as working conditions of care givers and trafficking in persons. 

Suci Sekar, a reporter from Tempo.co, planned to conduct a coverage regarding working conditions of Indonesian women migrant workers who work as care givers for elderly in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Lack of spaces in housings of these two countries have made migrant workers vulnerable to violence and harassment as they are not provided with decent accommodation. 

Meanwhile, Adinda Kusuma, a reporter from Kompas TV, was going to conduct a series of in-depth reporting related to human trafficking, protection of migrant worker and women’s empowerment.

Through these series of media engagement programmes started with the editorial meeting and continued with the journalist training and journalism fellowship programmes, we hope to build the commitment and the capacity of media organizations and professionals from the editor to reporter levels." Gita Lingga, ILO’s Communications Officer

The fellowship programme aims to engage and support journalists and media professional in delivering quality reporting on labour migration in Indonesia. Out of 19 submitted proposals, 10 proposals are selected. The participants will be provided with editorial support from senior media professionals as mentors to produce and publish a series of in-depth stories on labour migration. The fellowship programme is conducted from one month from 18 October to 18 November. 

“Through these series of media engagement programmes started with the editorial meeting and continued with the journalist training and journalism fellowship programmes, we hope to build the commitment and the capacity of media organizations and professionals from the editor to reporter levels. It is hoped that we are going to see much more comprehensive media reports on labour migration that pay attention to fair and ethical gender portrayal and that, in the same time, can raise public’s the awareness about safe and fair labour migration,” stated Gita Lingga, ILO’s Communications Officer.

The ILO’s support is given through the Safe and Fair Programme: Realizing women migrant workers’ rights and opportunities in the ASEAN region . With support from the European Union, the programme is jointly implemented by ILO and UN Women aims to promote safe and fair labour migration for all women in the region. In Indonesia, the Safe and Fair Programme targets four areas known as sending regions of migrants: Cirebon, West Java, Blitar and Tulung Agung East Java and North Lampung, Lampung.