The Media and Creative Industry Workers Union for Democracy (SINDIKASI), an IFJ affiliate, released on 24 March two groundbreaking reports that address issues of sexual harassment and the precarious living conditions of freelancers in the Indonesian media landscape.
The findings of these reports paint a harsh picture of the realities confronting freelancers, with a significant majority grappling to make ends meet amidst inadequate earnings. SINDIKASI’s research underscores the strong imbalance between living expenses and inadequate incomes.
Their latest research, titled “A Decent Wage for All: Wage Model for Media and Creative Industry Freelancers,” surveyed 55 freelancers across various regions including Bali, Jakarta, and Java. The research team found that the majority (75 %) of freelancers’ monthly expenses exceed double their wages, earning less than 400 euros per month.
Furthermore, another study titled “Sexual Violence Occurs Among Media and Creative Industry Workers, Let’s Invite All Parties to Dare to Speak,” conducted at the same time, looks into the alarming prevalence of harassment and violence in the workplace. Out of the respondents surveyed, over 37% reported being aware of cases of harassment and violence at work, and 29% admitted to having directly experienced such incidents themselves. Around 11% of respondents witnessed cases of harassment and violence in the workplace, while 22% claimed they never faced such situations.
Lestari Nurhajati, leading the research team, said: “The results show increasing awareness of violence and harassment in the work environment, especially in the media and creative industries.”
Source: Indonesia: Reports denounce poor conditions of freelancers and prevalence of sexual
