Women’s commission writes to CM for judicial panel to probe harassment in Sandalwood

BENGALURU: With demands for a judicial commission to probe harassment of women in the Kannada film industry after the Justice Hema committee report in Kerala, the Karnataka State Commission for Women (KSCW) has written to Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to constitute a commission headed by a retired judge.

The commisssion has also written to the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce to organise a meeting with women actors soon. This comes after the commission chairperson Nagalakshmi Chowdhary received oral complaints of harassment from some women actors. After the meeting, the commission will present a report to the CM.

The complaints raised with the KSCW chairperson include lack of separate toilets and dressing rooms, caravans and going alone for movie shoots. Speaking to Public TV, Nagalakshmi Chowdhary said, “I have written to the CM and the chief secretary, who is also a woman, and the film chamber. Women actors in the Kannada film industry should get security and facilities. It can become mandatory only when a law is enacted. A committee should be set up to come up with rules and regulations”.

“Sometimes, when women actors are taken for shoots, they have to travel alone and their family members are not given bus or room facilities. Women actors and other in the film industry should get basic facilities. When the #MeToo movement started, some change started happening and now we need a similar movement to ensure women get what they need”.

An organisation, FIRE (Film Industry for Rights and Equality), has already met the CM and emphasised the need for a comprehensive report to tackle pervasive inequality, discrimination, and sexual harassment in the film industry.