Kulonprogo
Citizen Journalism in Gunung Rawas
Dana Throssell
By Dana Throssell (Volunteer from The Australian National University)
This Saturday (16/3/2019), I had the opportunity and privilege of joining the Mitra Wacana team, including Director Mbak Imelda and Mas Poyeng, on their visit to Gunung Rawas in the Sentolo village to run a community engagement session on citizen journalism.
This session involved 23 participants, most of which were influential mothers or daughters in the local community. The workshop was opened with remarks by Bu Sukarmi (from the Srikandi Women’s and Children Learning Centre) and Mbak Imelda (from Mitra Wacana).
Over the course of a few hours, the interactive workshop aimed to teach the women about writing and producing effective articles, particularly ones which tackle community and social issues. The day centred around group discussions and activities discussing how to source captivating content and utilise journalistic devices to produce important and interesting articles. The Mitra Wacana team then explained how to disperse these articles through the community, such as by using popular social media platforms.
This session also informed the participants about the risks and warning signs of online hoaxes – a dangerous source that is frequently used in Indonesia to perpetuate false information or lure victims into unsafe situations.
This was one of many visits that Mitra Wacana has made to the Sentolo village over the past 4 years. This program of consistent and varied workshops, discussions, and meetings aims to strengthen knowledge within the community surrounding prevalent gendered issues such as human trafficking.
Citizen journalism is a vital tool which can be used to empower communities to prevent and mitigate the threat of human trafficking within the region. Citizen journalism gives a voice to women and women’s issues which may be traditionally marginalised or silenced by larger forms of mass media.
When local women have the knowledge and means to produce their own content, grassroots media becomes a powerful instrument to amplify information and risks surrounding issues, such as cases of human trafficking. Furthermore, citizen journalism is particularly effective in the Indonesian settings due to the widespread use of social media and strong networks of women within these communities.
Saturday’s program resulted in another group of women being empowered with a new skill that will serve to strengthen and protect their community. Mitra Wacana will return to Sentolo and neighbouring sub-villages over the coming weeks for more routine meetings, workshops and social analysis sessions in preparation for an upcoming report on the local prevalence of human trafficking.
Photos taken by Mitra Wacana Community Organiser: Cornelia Natasya
Edukasi PTPPO atau Pencegahan Tindak Perdagangan Orang Desa Banaran dilaksanakan oleh Tim Media Desa, P3A, dan Mitra Wacana pada tanggal 22 Februari 2020 pukul 20.00 bertempat di Kantor Balai Desa, Banaran, Kulon Progo Yogyakarta.
Edukasi ini dihadiri oleh Sekretaris Desa yakni Tri Yoga Desi Amanta yang sempat memberikan sambutannya tentang peringatan bahayanya Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang yang merupakan salah satu pelanggaran berat Hak Asasi Manusia yang Sudan tercantum UUD 1945. Ngatiyem ketua P3A (Pusat Pembelajaran Perempuan dan Anak) Pesisir Banaran juga menyampaikan perihal yang sama dan berharap bahwa edukasi ini dapat menjadi wadah pembelajaran bagi masyarakat Desa Banaran, Kulon Progo.
Pemateri atau narasumber dalam kegiatan edukasi kali ini adalah ibu Ika Puji Widjayanti, S.Psi anggota dari Dinas Pemberdayaan Perempuan Perlindungan Anak dan Pengendalian Penduduk, yang menjelaskan mengenai apa itu Tindak Pidana Perdagangan orang, bagaimana alurnya, dan diapa saja yang bisa menjadi pelaku atau korban dalam kasus Perdagangan Orang. beliau juga menegaskan betapa pentingnya pendataan terpisah (perempuan dan laki-laki) dalam suatu daerah, sebab hal tersebut juga dapat menjadi salah satu upaya pencegahan tindakan kekerasan yang mengarah kepada tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang.
Edukasi berjalan dengan lancar dan interaktif, hal ini terlihat dari beberapa peserta ikut bertanya mengenai tata cara mengadopsi anak dengan legal supaya tidak terindikasi Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang, lalu peseta remaja juga bertanya bagaimana sistematika magang di sekolah.
Tim pelaksana kegiatan edukasi ini berharap bahwa kegiatan ini dapat dilaksanakan kembali mengingat bahwa Kulon Progo akan menjadi kota persinggahan dengan adanya Yogyakarta International Airport dan upaya Pencegahan Tindak Pidana Perdagangan Orang.
Kontributor : Yngvie A. Nadiyya
