KOCHI: Women in Cinema Collective (WCC) has expressed disappointment at the way A.M.M.A’s executive committee shied away from taking action prescribed by its bylaws by revoking the suspension of actor Dileep, which would have set a precedent for such cases in the future.
In a statement, the WCC - while welcoming the news that “Dileep, an alleged accused in the survivor’s case of sexual assault, is no longer a member of A.M.M.A” - pointed out the “executive committee has chosen to continue ignoring its role and responsibility in triggering the resignation of the survivor and her three colleagues who resigned in protest of the decision to reinstate Dileep”.
It is “unfortunate to witness contradictory statements, infighting and the decorative status of women in the organisation” at the time of #MeToo when many Indian organisations are making progressive strides to support the harassed and keep perpetrators at bay, it said.
“We condemn any attempt to deny the existence of sexual harassment in the Malayalam film industry and reject any attempts to normalise such oppressive behaviour in our working environment. We reiterate the need to bring grievance redressal systems and introduce effective systems for the prevention of such incidents. “As is evident from the statement of A.M.M.A member Sridevika, public statements by A.M.M.A office-bearers are in clear contradiction of realities within the organisation,” it said.
The statement issued by Sangeetha Janachandran on behalf of the WCC said it would like to reinforce the fact that this was not about just one organisation and it was about the entire industry. “We strongly urge members of the industry to contact their respective unions and associations and understand their rights and responsibilities. Each welfare organisation needs to work towards ensuring equality, welfare and safety for all its members at workplaces,” said the statement.
“Given the highly unionised structure of our industry, solutions would be far easier to institute. Historically unionisation and creation of associations are to empower every member and give them a collective voice to raise issues about their welfare. Power then lays with the organisation as a whole and not a selected few,” it said.
The WCC said it “recognised the power and influence of cinema in our society and as responsible artists should continue to work towards the betterment and welfare of the industry and our entire workforce”.
“We laud the courage of individuals like Divya Gopinath, Sridevika and Shruthi Hariharan, who are speaking up against atrocities at the workplace and fully support their steps to bring the truth out,” said the statement.
It said the WCC was “thankful to the state government for its assurance and action towards implementing proactive solutions.”
State Govt backs Internal Complaints Committee in A.M.M.A
Kozhikode : Minister for Cinema and Culture A K Balan said the state government will extend all support to the WCC for its demand to have an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) within A.M.M.A. “The state government has a positive attitude towards the petition filed by WCC member and actor Padmapriya before the High Court in this regard,” he said. The minister further said both the A.M.M.A and the WCC should avoid unnecessary controversies to avoid damage to the Malayalam films industry. “A.M.M.A president Mohanlal had taken a positive stance in the actress molestation case. All the directions given by the State government were accepted by him. But, some of the members failed to realise that fact and came out against him,” said Balan.
WCC moves HC seeking directive
to film bodies to set up ICC
Kochi: The WCC on Monday filed a petition before the Kerala High Court seeking a directive to various film bodies to constitute an Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) on sexual exploitation, as per the Supreme Court guidelines issued in the Vishaka case under the provisions of Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal)Act, 2013. The collective sought the court to issue a directive in this regard to the Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce, Kerala Film Producers Association, Film Employees Federation of Kerala (FEFKA), Malayalam Cinema Technicians Association (MACTA) and Kerala Film Distributors Association. The court had last week issued a notice to the state government and the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) seeking to set up a complaint committee in the association.