The WCC's meeting with Pinarayi Vijayan came a day after the Kerala High Court criticised the state government for its inaction on the report.
Published Sep 11, 2024 | 2:48 PM ⚊ Updated Sep 11, 2024 | 2:48 PM
Hema Committee Report: WCC meets Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. (Facebook)
The members of the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) met Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at the CM’s Office in the Secretariat on Wednesday, 11 August.
They appealed for the protection of the privacy of women who testified before the Justice K Hema Committee. The women’s body members also requested that security be provided to the women immediately.
In response, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan assured the WCC members that their concerns would be addressed soon.
Revathy Asha, Rima Kallingal, Bina Paul, and Deedi Damodaran were among those who met the chief minister.
The WCC’s meeting with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan came a day after the Kerala High Court criticised the state government for its inaction regarding sexual harassment and exploitation of women in Malayalam cinema, highlighted in the Justice Hema Committee Report.
Later, addressing a news channel, actor Revathy said the WCC raised the issue of privacy and security of the complainants with the Kerala Chief Minister. She added that the WCC also urged the chief minister to take immediate action concerning the sexual offences exposed by the report.
A special bench of the High Court asked the Special Investigation Team (SIT) to review the report. This prompted the WCC to raise concerns with the government over the privacy of the complainants, especially women.
The WCC felt that the government could raise this issue in court during further proceedings.
Meanwhile, the WCC has proposed a Cinema Code of Conduct for implementation in the Malayalam film industry. The first part of the proposed code deals with contracts.
on 7 September, the WCC took to social media and proposed the adoption of the Code.
Under the Cinema Code of Conduct (CCC), the WCC proposed that employment contracts must be made mandatory for all film employees at every level. The contracts must specify the film’s title employer and employee details, remuneration, payment terms, work profile, work terms, and the nature of credits.
The WCC also emphasised that each contract must include a clause that addresses The Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) (PoSH) Act, 2013.
Further, it suggested that both cast and crew should use film industry-approved contract templates, as outlined in the proposed CCC. Additionally, the women’s body recommended mechanisms for reporting breaches of contract.
In another development, producer Sandra Thomas criticised the Kerala Film Producers’s Association (KFPA) for behaving like the sub-committee of AMMA (Association of Malayalam Movie Artists). Further, she sought an explanation from the KFPA for mocking women producers.
Sandra Thomas also alleged that she was unaware of the letter the KFPA had sent to the Kerala Chief Minister.
Meanwhile, Kerala Culture Minister Saji Cheriyan announced that the Justice Hema Committee Report would be handed over to the SIT, constituted by the government.
(Edited by Y Krishna Jyothi)
