WCC members meet Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan: ‘We stressed the need to give equal space to the views and ideas of women in policy making’

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It was also shared that the WCC discussed the importance of immediate implementation of the Internal Committee (IC) under the POSH act. “We also pointed out the possibility of including the Department of Women and Child Welfare in IC related issues in cinema, as in other workplaces, and the need to reorganize the IC Monitoring Committee in such a way that it receives serious attention from the government, and the need to provide proper awareness about the IC.”

Apart from these topics, the WCC also discussed the need for inclusion in cinema, and having it documented as a proper policy. “We stressed the need to give equal space to the views and ideas of women in policy making. We have called for an increase in the Film Fund for Directors and the need for a revised roadmap for the utilization of this fund, taking into account the experiences of women who have made films using the fund earlier, with a definite pro-women approach, led by women,” read the note.

The WCC also provided the right possible steps towards developing a safe and secure avenue for women pursuing a career in cinema. “As in our petition filed in 2017, we reiterated the need to provide fee concession or scholarship to girls who get admission in film schools from this academic year so that more women can get opportunities in the film industry.”

The WCC mentioned that the CM assured that their concerns and demands will be considered most sympathetically. Reiterating the primary steps to be taken on this front, the WCC note said, “The first part of the WCC suggestions that the government should take the initiative and implement urgently in the wake of the Hema Committee report (including the Cinema Code of Conduct (CCC)) and the study report on women in the industry conducted by the WCC with the Sakhi Resource Centre on the five film industries in India, were submitted to the Chief Minister seeking further action.”

ALSO READ |: Midnight knocks on door, no intimacy coordinators on sets: In light of Hema Committee report, are Hindi film sets safe for women?

Post the Justice Hema Committee report being made public, there were a lot of sexual allegations that were levelled against prominent members of the Malayalam film industry. The report has shaken the very core of the systems in cinema, and voices are growing louder for similar studies to be made in other industries also to ensure cinema is a safe space for women, and it allows them to pursue their passion with vigour and drive.