No News Is Bad News: Indonesia

Indonesia ranks 7th in the world in early child marriages with 1 in every 5 girls married before the legally allowed age. Women and girls are often victims of trafficking, violence and different forms of discrimination (including early child marriages, lack of access to information, educational and resources). Additionally, due to large poverty rates, there is increasing migration as people search for a better life. According to figures, more than 70 percent of the migrant are women, and many face forced labor, prostitution and trafficking to neighboring Malaysia or the Middle East and Gulf countries. National and local media lack the capacity and very often the will to cover these important social and economic problems. But media is best placed, in cooperation with Civil Society Organisations, authorities and interest groups, to raise awareness and promote (through quality investigative reporting and exposing harmful practices) societal change. The role of media in educating and providing quality and reliable information is crucial.