Privacy of survivors who deposed before Hema Committee must be protected, WCC members tell Kerala CM

Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) urges Kerala government for privacy protection, transparency in investigations, and gender equality in film industry.

The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has requested the Kerala government to ensure the privacy of those who deposed before the Justice K. Hema committee, which was constituted to study the issues faced by women in the Malayalam film industry.

WCC members Revathy, Bina Paul, Rima Kallingal and Deedi Damodaran met Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan at his office on Wednesday (September 11, 2024) and expressed hope that the special investigation team (SIT) inquiring into the allegations will be more considerate to the survivors by making the procedure transparent and releasing the Terms of Reference.

Mr. Vijayan assured the WCC members that the government will address their concerns. The meeting comes a day after a Division Bench of the Kerala High Court directed the government to hand over the Hema committee report to the SIT and file a report as to what action can be taken on the basis of it.

The Kerala High Court had, following the WCC’s interventions, mandated that Internal Complaint Committees be formed in all film sets. However, following this, only a 27 member monitoring committee led by the Film Chamber and consisting of representatives of various film organisations was formed. The WCC has now asked for this committee to be reconstituted as a statutory committee as per the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) (POSH) Act, 2013, with a woman as the chairperson and with women in the majority.

Another major suggestion from the collective was for more representation of women at the earliest in key posts of the Kerala State Chalachitra Academy and the Kerala State Film Development Corporation (KSFDC). The WCC also highlighted the Hema committee’s recommendation for scholarships or fee benefits for girls in government-run film schools.

The collective has also demanded an increase in the funding for the State government’s project to promote women filmmakers, which has already produced some award-winning films. It also called for more involvement of women in the selection and production process of the project. The WCC is also preparing a detailed report based on the recommendations in the Hema committee report, Adoor committee report and the WCC’s own Shift Focus study in five film industries. It has also handed over suggestions to be included in the proposed film policy.