Kerala govt publishes Hema report on sexual harassment in Malayalam film industry
The 235-page report has recorded sordid accounts of women who testified that they were routinely asked for sexual favours in exchange for work opportunities
Four and a half years after it was submitted to the Kerala government, the report of the committee headed by retired justice K Hema on the plight of women in Malayalam cinema was released on Monday with stark revelations about sexual harassment and abuse women face within the industry.
The 235-page report, seen by HT, recorded sordid accounts of women who testified that they were routinely asked for sexual favours in exchange for work opportunities. They said they were told to make ‘adjustments’ and ‘compromises’ in cinema, dealt with forced entries by their male colleagues in hotel rooms and threatened with bans if they took legal recourses.
“’Compromise’ and ‘adjustment’ are two terms which are very familiar among women in Malayalam film industry and thereby, they are asked to make herself available for sex on demand,” the report said.
Underlining that women do not find their accommodations arranged near film sets safe, the report said they are forced to be accompanied by their family members or close relatives in fear of being attacked.
Those who testified before the committee said they were taking a risk by disclosing their experiences within the industry. “...if the facts stated by them reach the ears of those who tortured them, as many of the perpetrators are very influential. It was a shocking experience for us to listen to the nature of sexual assault and harassment which women in cinema have gone through,” it said.
The report also highlighted that women are denied basic human rights on film sets such as access to clean toilets and changing rooms. Female artists face a tough time during menstrual periods and they learn to avoid drinking water for long periods to prevent the urge for urination, it said.
The Hema committee hit out at the state film industry accusing it of being under the clutch of certain actors, producers, and directors – all male. “They control the whole Malayalam film industry and they dominate other persons working in cinema. They can even coerce and threaten the persons who work in the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) to deal with the complaint, in the manner they demand. If any one of them who is part of ICC does not act according to dictates of those in power, their future can be ruined and they will be even wiped out of the industry as they are capable of doing it. This situation in cinema is very shocking,” it said.
In fact, a prominent actor referred to the all-male lobby as a ‘mafia’ that can pronounce ‘illegal’ and ‘unauthorised’ bans on anyone in the industry. Such bans are operated by mouth-to-mouth secret communication from one person to another and enforced upon producers easily, the report said.
The government-instituted audit also shone a light on the plight of ‘junior artists’ who are subjected to ‘inhumane treatment’ on sets. They are not given membership of film bodies like AMMA and FEFKA, denied access to toilet facilities, and forced to work continuously for long hours. Such artists also face a raw deal in terms of remuneration with most of their wages misappropriated by agents, it said.
The committee report, originally 295-pages-long, was cut short by 66 pages to redact the names and information of those who testified and others against whom allegations were made. The three-member panel was instituted in 2017 in the wake of the horrific alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of a leading Malayalam actor in a moving car near Kochi. One of the prime accused in that case, currently under trial, is actor Dileep who faces charges of conspiracy, tampering of evidence among other offences.
The Hema committee in its report recommended the enactment of a statute and the formation of a tribunal under it to solve the issues faced by women in the industry. It underlined that contrary to other sectors, where sexual harassment happens at the workplace, in cinema, women are subjected to abuse even before she is selected for a role. Thus, the provisions of the PoSH Act- Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) 2013 will not suffice, it said.
The committee said the tribunal must act as a civil court and be headed by a retired district judge, preferably a woman, who has at least five years of trial experience. The new law must provide for safe accommodations and transport options for women, access to toilets and changing rooms, ban on drugs and alcohol on film sets and strict adherence to work contracts especially for junior artists.
Reacting to the findings in the report, culture minister Saji Cheriyan told reporters, “There is no doubt that the recommendations by the committee call for serious introspection. In two months, we plan to hold a cinema conclave in Kochi where persons from different areas of cinema will come together. There will be extensive discussions and the government will take a decision on its implementation.”
The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an outfit on whose demand the Hema committee was formed, said on Monday, “It has been a long journey for us. We believed that our fight for justice for all women wanting a dignified professional space in the film industry was the right fight. Today we stand vindicated.”
Actor Siddique, general secretary of the influential body of actors AMMA, said, “We will thoroughly study the report and then make a detailed response. It is a sensitive issue.”