Film bodies in the State have assured the Kerala Women’s Commission (KWC) that internal complaints’ committees will be set up in the film industry.
Office-bearers of organisations associated with the industry told the commission here on Saturday that only after ensuring that the ICC had been formed in film production units would the latter be given registration.
The assurance was given at a sitting of the commission to hear film bodies Malayalam Cine Technicians’ Association (MACTA), Kerala Film Producers’ Association, Kerala Film Chamber of Commerce, Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), Film Employees’ Federation of Kerala (FEFKA) on a petition by the Women in Cinema Collective (WCC).
It was decided to organise an online training programme under the umbrella of the commission to provide guidelines for formation of ICCs and their functioning.
The WCC had contended that the industry did not have the ICC as stipulated in the ‘Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal) Act (POSH ACT), 2013.
The organisations accepted the commission direction to set up a monitoring committee comprising representatives of all film organisations in the industry.
Commission chairperson P. Satheedevi presided over the sitting. Its members E.M. Radha and Shiji Sivaji, director Shaji Sugunan, and law officer P. Girija participated.
The High Court of Kerala had earlier suggested that the film bodies take steps to constitute a joint committee to deal with sexual harassment of women that would give confidence to women actors and other women working in the film field.
It had observed that each production unit was an establishment employing actors and other workers and, therefore, had to maintain an ICC if they were engaging more than 10 workers as contemplated under the POSH Act, 2013.
The Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA) recently formed an ICC. Actor Shweta Menon is the presiding officer. The members include actors Maala Parvathi, Kukku Parameswaran, and Rachana Narayanankutty. The WCC had earlier approached the High Court seeking a direction that AMMA should constitute an ICC.
