 |
Many actresses are openly talking about the incidents of harassment that happened with them. Some time ago, actress Meenu Muneer has filed a case under section 354 of CrPC against 7 people including Malayalam actor Mukesh, Jayasurya , through a Facebook post. Earlier also, the actress had accused her of harassment through a Facebook post, after which she has filed a written complaint. After the incident, actor Mukesh also said in his defence that he was being blackmailed for money and when he refused to give the money, false allegations were made against him.
What is the Hema Committee Report?
There have always been allegations against the film industry that in return for giving work to women in the industry, they are often made to pay undue bribes. They are asked for physical favours and are physically and mentally harassed. Keeping in mind the safety of female Malayalam film artists, the 'Hema Committee Report' was brought. A 3-member committee headed by retired Justice B. Tahema was constituted in 2019 to discuss every issue related to women safety in India regarding the unreasonable demands made from women artistes.
10 big things that came to light from Hema Committee's report
1) Sexual harassment is the biggest problem
The biggest problem of women in India is sexual harassment. Many women are afraid to talk openly about this. They feel that if they open their mouth, they will be thrown out of India and no one will give them work.
Even many women were hesitant to say anything in front of the Obstacle Committee.
2) Many big names of India are also involved in harassment
According to women, harassment starts from the very beginning. From directors, producers to production controllers, everyone is involved. If a woman approaches a production controller or any person for work, she is told about mutual favors. Adjustment and compromise are very common words among women in the Malayalam film industry. Based on the suggestions given by female obstetricians, it is assumed that even the bigwigs of the industry are involved in this.
3) Bad image of the film industry in front of the newsmakers
There are many directors-producers who behave well with women or take great care of their safety on the sets. Many female obstetricians presented the names of those people in front of the committee who give a lot of respect to women at their place.
4) Men openly demand sex.
Most of the male actors in the Malayalam film industry think that if women are comfortable doing explicit scenes in films, they will be willing to do the same off set. This is why men in the industry openly demand sex from women. Many women also showed video clips, audio clips, screenshots and WhatsApp messages to show their proof. The women stressed on this issue and said that this discrimination in film industry should end.
5) Men said - racial harassment happens everywhere
Many men told the committee that racial harassment is not only prevalent in the film industry but it happens in every field. In the field of film industry, this issue is presented in an exaggerated manner. However, women completely rejected this point in front of the committee.
They said that racial harassment is quite different in film industry and other fields.Couch casting completely changes the criteria for getting a job in film industry whereas this does not happen in other jobs.
6) Men knock on the door at night
Many women have said that whenever they stay in a hotel with their colleagues at work, men knock on their room door at night. Many times it has also happened that if the door is not opened, the men knock on the door so hard that the door breaks.
7) Women are talked about in coded terms
Women are talked about in coded terms. If a woman does not compromise, she may lose her job. Reports also say that the industry thinks that women have come here only to become famous or to earn money. To do this, they can go to any extent. They will even agree to sleep.
8) They are not allowed to go even to the toilet
Women artists are not given the facility of even toilet during outdoor shooting. The production unit also does not give them break to go to the toilet as it wastes time in commuting. Many female obstetricians reported that due to the lack of toilet facilities on the sets, they drink less water, which later causes infections and many other diseases. During periods, they are not able to change sanitary pads for hours. Women obstetricians have toilet facilities in the bathroom vans on the sets, but junior obstetricians are not allowed to use these vans. There is a thin cloth to change clothes on the set.
9)The report says that the entire film industry is male dominated: Some producers, directors and actors rule the entire industry. If anyone dares to open his mouth against them, he starts getting threats. The power of powerful people is so strong that people call them mafia. They can do anything in the film industry. If they want, they can kill any actor, director or producer without any solid reason. If any woman or man tries to raise voice against this powerful law, he/she can even be dismissed from the industry.
10) Fees not given if written contract is not done:
Written contracts are not done in Malayalam film industry. Producers do written contracts only with big actors. Many times after getting the work done, Producers refuse to pay the fixed fee to Producers.
The situation of women is even worse in terms of fees. A female actor told the committee that she was playing the lead role in a film. During the discussion, she was informed that the film had intimate scenes but not much was revealed. After three months of preparation, when she started shooting for the film, the director told her about new buddy and blacklock scenes in the film. She was pressured to do boxing scenes and black exposure. When the female actor left the film, she did not have any written contract on the basis of which she could claim her fees.
What led to the formation of the Justice Hema Committee?
On February 17, 2017, a leading Malayalam film actress was abducted and sexually assaulted in her car by a group of men. A prominent actor would later be implicated in the case which sparked outrage across Kerala, and brought under the scanner the discriminatory treatment faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), comprising women actors, producers, directors and technicians, was formed in response to this incident. On May 18, 2017 the WCC submitted a petition to the Kerala Chief Minister demanding an inquiry into the incident, and larger gender issues plaguing the state’s film industry.
In July 2017 , the state government formed a three-member committee headed by Justice K Hema, a retired Kerala High Court judge, to look into issues of sexual harassment and pervasive gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry. After speaking to multiple women in the industry on a variety of issues, the Committee submitted a 295-page report to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan in December 2019.
Why has the report been released now?
In January 2022, the Kerala government formed a panel to work out a plan to implement the recommendations of the Hema Commission report. This panel came up with vague draft recommendations in May 2022.
Subsequently, five Right to Information activists and media personnel approached the Kerala State Information Commission (KSIC) for more details.
The KSIC on July 6, 2024, ruled in favour of a controlled release of the report to the petitioners. Sixty three pages of the report were redacted before its scheduled release on August 14.
The Kerala High Court stayed the report’s release following a petition by film producer Saji Parayil, who argued that its publication would violate the right to privacy of individuals (including himself), and possibly expose them to retaliation and harassment. This petition was eventually dismissed.
A plea to the High Court by actress Ranjini, who had deposed before the Committee, further delayed the report. In her plea, she said: “I have the legal right to know how my statement has been recorded on the report”.This petition too was dismissed, and the report was finally released on Monday.
What happened after Hema Committee report came out?
▪ After the report came out, many female obstetricians working in Malayalam film industry are reporting incidents of sexual harassment.
▪ Bengali actress Sreelekha complained of sexual harassment and rape against Malayalam filmmaker Ranjith, after which Ranjith had to resign from the post of President of Kerala Cinema Academy.
▪ Actor Siddiqui resigned from the post of General Secretary of Association of Malayalam Movie Obstetricians (AMMA) after the allegations of actress Revathi Sampath.
▪ AMMA President Mohanlal and 17 others resigned after allegations of rape were leveled against General Secretary Arter Bisdique and Joint Secretary Laloo Raj.
▪ Aries Meenu Muneer accused Malayali Arter and Kollam MLA Mukesh M. of CPI(M) of sexual assault on the sets, following which a case was registered against 7 people including Arter Jayasurya under section 354. All these accused were mentioned by Meenu in her Facebook post.
▪ All these cases will be investigated by the SIT (Special Investigation Team), which was formed on August 25.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Saturday sought the complete release of the Hema Committee Report, following the findings of the report that hit the Malayalam film industry with sexual abuse allegations.
In an official press release, the NCW stated that the Commission had observed some "concern findings" in the Hema Committee Report, which points to some "serious issues" including "workplace harassment, gender- based discrimination, and other forms of exploitation that adversely affect women in the Malayalam film industry".
"In response to these concerns, the NCW has taken steps to seek the complete Hema Committee Report, as it appears that only parts of it are currently available in the public domain. The Commission is committed to furthering its efforts in addressing these matters with the appropriate authorities to ensure that the rights of women are upheld and that a safe, equitable working environment is fostered within the industry," the press release stated.
What is the Legal Framework to Address Sexual Exploitation in the Film Industry?
▪ Indian Penal Code, 1860 (now replaced as Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita): Sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty), 354A (sexual harassment) and 509 (word, gesture, or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) deal with sexual offences.
▪ Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013: This law mandates the establishment of Internal Complaints Committees (ICC)7 in workplaces to address complaints of sexual harassment.
▪ Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000: IT Act addresses the publication and transmission of obscene material in electronic form, which can include digital content in films.
▪ Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses (POCSO) Act, 2012: This act specifically protects children from sexual exploitation and abuse, including in the context of films.
▪ Immoral Traffic (Prevention) Act, 1956 (ITPA): This act aims to prevent trafficking or commercial sexual exploitation.
Post a Comment