Kerala government directed to release report on gender inequality in Malayalam film industry
The Women in Cinema Collective welcomed the direction, which came more than four years after the document was submitted to the state government.
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The Kerala State Information Commission has ordered the release of the Justice K Hema Committee report on sexual harassment and gender inequality in the Malayalam film industry, reported The Hindu.
The report was submitted to the state government more than four years ago.
On Saturday, State Information Commissioner A Abdul Hakkim directed that the entirety of the report be released, except sections that are prohibited from being made public under the Right to Information Act.
Hakkim also said that sensitive information, which could violate the privacy of individuals, should be withheld.
The three-member committee, comprising Justice Hema, veteran actor Sharada and former bureaucrat KB Valsalakumari, was formed in 2017, weeks after the Women In Cinema Collective’s met with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan.
The collective had demanded a probe into the problems faced by women in the Malayalam film industry. This came in the aftermath of an alleged sexual-assault case involving actor Dileep.
On December 31, 2019, the Hema committee submitted its report to the Kerala government, reported The News Minute. However, the findings of the report were not made public.
Hakkim on Saturday lauded the state government for constituting the committee but criticised the cultural affairs department for “withholding information without carefully examining the intention of the petitioners”.
“This report comprises findings that are intended to course-correct and address the problems faced by women...
