WCC flag attempts to ‘jeopardize’ privacy of women testifying before HEMA Committee

The WCC has warned Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan calling it an attempt to reveal the identity and endanger the privacy of women artistes and technicians appearing before the Hema Committee.

The Women in Cinema Collective (WCC), an advocacy group that champions women’s rights and gender equality in the entertainment industry, has warned Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan over what it calls an attempt to expose identities and jeopardize the privacy of women artists. Who are the technicians? Hema testified before the committee, which documented many instances of widespread sexual exploitation and abuse in the Malayalam film industry.

In a Facebook post on Monday (September 16, 2024), the WCC accused a Malayalam television news channel of conducting a trial by the media based on cherry-picked information, hints and innuendos, which the WCC feared could reveal possible identities. Those who survived braved personal and professional adversity to testify before the committee.

The WCC said the “irresponsible reporting” had put women in dire straits and caused anxiety among them. It accused the news channel of causing more misery to survivors while presenting itself as a defender of their rights.

The WCC noted that the unredacted report with highly confidential attachments and additions is now in the possession of the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

The WCC feared that some people who were privy to the report could be the source of this scandalous media leak. It requested Mr. Vijayan’s urgent intervention.

The SIT comprising four women IPS officers was formed by the government to probe allegations of rape and sexual harassment in the film industry, which emerged in circulation and social media only after a redacted version of the committee’s damning report was made public in 2019. domain last month.

Subsequently, the Kerala High Court, which considered the Hema Committee report, tasked the SIT to investigate the findings.

The court asked stakeholders including the state and the media to refrain from any action that could reveal the identities of those appearing before the committee.

Last week, some WCC members met Mr. Vijayan personally at the government secretariat office and requested the state to protect the identity of the women appearing before the committee.