Hema Committee Report : Film Industry
The Hema committee report on the Malayalam film industry was released. It has revealed alarming instances of sexual abuse, gender discrimination, and inhuman treatment of women in the Malayalam film industry.
- It was led by retired Kerala High Court judge Justice K Hema, with members including veteran actor Sharada and retired IAS officer K B Valsala Kumari.
- It include unwanted physical advances even before commencing work, rape threats, code names for women who would agree to compromise among other shameful acts
- The report highlights the prevalence of the casting couch, where women are often forced to exchange sexual favours for job opportunities.
- Directors and producers often coerce female actors into making compromises, with those who comply being termed “cooperating artists.”
- Women were forced to work with abusers, resulting in significant emotional trauma.
- The casting couch is a euphemism for the practice of soliciting sexual favours from a job applicant in exchange for employment in the entertainment industry, primarily acting roles.
- Many female film workers frequently bring their parents or close relatives to the set due to fears of sexual demands and harassment.
- The report indicates that the Malayalam film industry is plagued by criminal influence.
- Many industry men, sometimes under the influence of liquor or drugs, insistently knock the hotel doors of female artists, causing significant distress.
- Although such crimes are covered by the Indian Penal Code and the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act 2013, women in the film industry are apprehensive about the consequences of lodging an official complaint.
- The stigma surrounding sexual harassment, particularly for public figures, frequently deters actors from reporting such incidents.
- Online harassment poses a significant challenge for women in cinema, with both female and male artists facing cyberbullying, public threats, and defamation.
- Social media platforms become avenues for vulgar comments, images, and videos, where female artists are especially targeted with explicit and threatening messages.
- Female artists often refrain from drinking water on set due to inadequate toilet facilities, especially in outdoor locations.
- The situation worsens during menstruation when female artists struggle significantly with changing or disposing of their sanitary products.
- The junior artists lack a minimum remuneration. Junior artists are in some cases “treated worse than slaves” with work extending up to 19 hours. Intermediaries misappropriate a good part of their payments, which are not given on time.
