Five years of fighting: The state of digital violence against female journalists and activists in Indonesia – Global Voices

Report on Gender-Based Digital Violence in Indonesia and its Implications for Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: A Barrier to Sustainable Development

Digital violence targeting female journalists and activists in Indonesia represents a significant impediment to the nation’s progress towards achieving key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This report analyzes the patterns of online harassment and systemic failures in protection, framing the issue within the context of SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions). The persistent and targeted nature of these attacks undermines fundamental freedoms, obstructs gender equality, and highlights critical weaknesses in legal and institutional frameworks.

The Scope of Digital Violence and its Conflict with SDG 5: Gender Equality

Forms of Digital Violence

Research and documentation from organizations such as the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) reveal a consistent pattern of gendered digital violence. These attacks are designed to silence women in the public sphere, directly contravening the objectives of SDG 5. Common forms of attack include:

• Doxing (publishing private information)
• Gender or sexuality outing
• Online surveillance and account hacking
• Malignant photo manipulation and deepfakes
• Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks
• Systematic and persistent online harassment

Impact on Gender Equality Targets

The prevalence of this violence directly undermines specific targets within SDG 5.

1. SDG Target 5.2 (Eliminate Violence Against Women): A 2021 survey by PR2Media found that 85.7 percent of 1,256 female journalists had experienced violence, with 70.1 percent reporting it occurred online. The 2024 CATAHU report from the National Commission on Violence Against Women (Komnas Perempuan) recorded 330,097 cases of gender-based violence, noting that this figure represents only the “tip of the iceberg.”
2. SDG Target 5.5 (Ensure Women’s Full Participation): The psychological trauma and fear resulting from these attacks create a chilling effect, discouraging women from participating in public discourse and professional life. Victims report fear of public recognition and anxiety, which limits their ability to work and engage freely.
3. SDG Target 5.b (Enhance Use of Enabling Technology): Instead of being a tool for empowerment, digital technology is being weaponized against women, turning online spaces into platforms for abuse and reinforcing gender inequality.

Institutional Weakness and the Challenge to SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Failure of Institutional Protection Mechanisms

The response from media organizations, employers, and state institutions has been largely inadequate, highlighting a failure to build the effective and accountable institutions required by SDG 16. Victims frequently report being blamed by their superiors for being “too reactive” or are offered simplistic solutions like temporarily deactivating social media. Even organizations dedicated to human rights and gender equality, such as Magdalene and KONTRAS, have been targeted and struggle to establish comprehensive, proactive safety protocols. This reliance on external civil society groups like the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI) and SAFEnet for security indicates a systemic institutional deficit.

Fragmented Legal Frameworks and Lack of Access to Justice

Indonesia’s legal framework remains insufficient to provide justice for victims, a direct challenge to SDG Target 16.3 (Promote the rule of law and ensure equal access to justice). Key legislative instruments have proven inadequate:

• The Sexual Violence Crime Act (TPKS Law): While it formally recognizes Electronic-Based Sexual Violence (KBSE), its implementation has stalled, and law enforcement officials are often reluctant to apply it.
• The Personal Data Protection Law (PDP): The law fails to classify a woman’s body and image as personal data, leaving a significant gap in protection against abuses like non-consensual image sharing and deepfakes.
• The Electronic Information and Transactions Law (ITE): This older law is frequently criticized for focusing on information transmission rather than victim protection and has been used to criminalize individuals rather than address the violence itself.

A promised government mechanism for the rapid removal of harmful content has not materialized, leaving victims exposed to prolonged harm in a digital environment where speed is critical.

Platform Accountability and the Global Development Agenda

The Role of Unresponsive Technology Platforms

Global technology platforms are central to the problem, yet they have largely evaded accountability. Their failures have direct implications for SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure), which calls for inclusive and sustainable development. SAFEnet reports that companies often “wash their hands” of responsibility, outsourcing safety work to under-resourced civil society organizations. Key issues include:

• Slow and ineffective content moderation and reporting mechanisms.
• A lack of cultural and contextual understanding of gender norms and sensitivities in Southeast Asia.
• Policy shifts toward “free speech” that embolden harassers and weaken protections.

The inability of organizations like the Civil Society Coalition Against Sexual Violence (KOMPAKS) to have doxing content removed from platforms like Instagram, even after months of reporting, exemplifies this systemic failure.

Conclusion: A Coordinated Response for Sustainable Development

The digital violence targeting women in Indonesia is not an isolated issue but a critical barrier to sustainable development. It exposes the intersection of patriarchal norms, weak institutions (SDG 16), and the unaccountability of global technology companies. This dynamic actively reverses progress on gender equality (SDG 5) and exacerbates broader inequalities (SDG 10). Without a coordinated response that ensures rapid legal recourse, enforces platform accountability, and builds robust institutional support systems, the digital sphere will remain a space of impunity, and the promise of the 2030 Agenda will remain unfulfilled for countless women.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality – The article’s central theme is gender-based digital violence against women, specifically female journalists and activists in Indonesia.
• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions – The text discusses the failure of legal frameworks, weak law enforcement, and the lack of protection from institutions, which undermines justice and fundamental freedoms.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The harassment targets women in their professional capacity, creating an unsafe working environment that threatens their labor rights and ability to work.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure – The article highlights how digital infrastructure and platforms (information and communications technology) are being used as venues for violence, pointing to a need for safer and more accountable technological environments.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. The article describes how attacks are “rooted in misogyny” and represent a form of gendered discrimination that targets women for their professional work and opinions.
   • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres. The core issue discussed is “gendered digital violence,” including doxing, harassment, and photo manipulation. The article explicitly mentions that violence against women “increasingly blends online and offline elements,” directly addressing this target.
   • Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women. The article illustrates the negative side of this target, showing how technology is used to disempower and silence women. The failure of tech platforms to protect women highlights the challenges in achieving the positive use of technology for empowerment.

2. SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article focuses on the prevalence of digital violence, a specific form of violence that causes psychological harm and fear, as expressed by one victim: “What if they stab me on public transportation?”
   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all. The article details “fragmented legal frameworks” and weak enforcement of laws like the TPKS Law. It notes that “Law enforcement often refuses to use the TPKS Law” and victims are “done waiting for justice,” indicating a failure to provide equal access to justice.
   • Target 16.10: Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements. The targeting of female journalists and activists is a direct attack on freedom of expression and freedom of the press. The article describes how these attacks aim to silence women and prevent them from carrying out their work, thereby undermining these fundamental freedoms.

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.8: Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers. The article shows that female journalists and activists face severe harassment as a direct result of their work. The lack of “institutional protection” from media organizations and the normalization of abuse create an unsafe working environment.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

1. For Target 5.2 (Eliminate violence against women)

   • Prevalence of violence against women: The article provides specific data points that can be used as indicators. A “2021 survey by PR2Media” found that “85.7 percent” of female journalists experienced violence.
   • Number of reported cases of gender-based violence: The “Komnas Perempuan’s 2024 CATAHU report recorded 330,097 cases of gender-based violence against women,” which serves as a direct, though likely underreported, indicator.

2. For Target 16.3 (Promote the rule of law and access to justice)

   • Existence and implementation of legislation: The article mentions the Sexual Violence Crime Act (TPKS Law) and the Personal Data Protection Law (PDP). The degree to which these laws are enforced and implemented, such as the creation of a “government mechanism for removing harmful content,” is an implied indicator of progress. The article notes that “implementation has stalled.”
   • Responsiveness of justice systems: The article implies an indicator through the lack of response, stating, “Law enforcement often refuses to use the TPKS Law.” An increase in the number of cases successfully prosecuted under this law would be a positive indicator.

3. For Target 16.10 (Protect fundamental freedoms)

   • Number of verified cases of attacks against journalists and activists: The article mentions that the “Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) has documented the types of digital violence that predominantly target female journalists and activists.” The number and types of these documented cases (doxing, DDoS attacks, harassment) serve as a direct indicator of the safety of journalists and the state of fundamental freedoms.

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article.

Source: globalvoices.org