EXPLAINER: Kerala government under fire over delayed release of report on sexual harassment in Malayalam film industry
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, August 23
The Justice K Hema Committee report on sexual abuse and harassment in the Malayalam film industry has sparked a major political controversy, with the opposition criticising the Pinarayi Vijayan-led Kerala government for its delayed release and alleged inaction.
The report, submitted in December 2019, documents instances of sexual exploitation, workplace harassment, and gender pay gap in the industry, which has been met with widespread condemnation and demands for action upon its release through the Right to Information Act.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor termed the government’s delay in releasing the report “shameful and shocking” as the government sat on the report for five years. The state government has been accused of omitting 11 paragraphs from the original report, citing concerns about individual privacy.
The report contains disturbing accounts of sexual abuse, including of child artistes, and casting couch instances, prompting Kerala State Human Rights Commission to call for a thorough investigation and explanation.
The opposition United Democratic Front (UDF) is demanding a police investigation and the formation of a special investigation team (SIT) comprising senior women IPS officers to address the issues highlighted in the report.
Kerala has law for gender equality
Kerala has laws and policies in place to protect workers’ rights and promote gender equality, including Gender Equality and Women Empowerment Policy. The policy aims to create a society where women and men have equal access to resources, opportunities, and benefits, but the report reveals a contrasting reality in the Malayalam film industry.
Women are also protected at workplaces by the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013, but the report highlights the need for more effective implementation and protection for women in industries like cinema, where power dynamics can be skewed.
The Hema report
The report contains shocking details of harassment, discrimination and exploitation faced by women amid a “power nexus” comprising of handful of producers, directors, actors and production controllers.
It talks of situations like casting couch and workplace harassment with newcomers being pressured to make “compromises” and women artistes subjected to unwanted physical advances even before commencing work. It also includes instances of exploitation, denial of basic human rights like toilets and changing rooms on sets.
The committee was formed in the wake of abduction and sexual harassment of a leading Malayalam film actress by a group of men around early 2017. The involvement of a prominent actor sparked outrage, bringing under the scanner harassment and discrimination faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.
A Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) comprising women actors, producers, directors and technicians was formed, which submitted a petition to the Kerala chief minister, demanding an inquiry into the incident and the larger gender issues in the industry
In July, the state government formed a committee headed by Justice K Hema, a retired Kerala High Court judge that submitted the report to Vijayan in December 2019 after speaking to various women artistes and technicians.
The much-awaited report was provided to the media under the Right to Information Act, almost five years after its submission. According to reports, it had 295 pages but 63 pages had been redacted.
