Bengali actors urge Mamata Banerjee to publish report on sexual harrasment

Bengali actors Ushasi Ray, Ananya Sen, Tanika Basu, Sauraseni Maitra, Angana Roy, and Daminee Benny Basu, on September 21, wrote a letter to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee welcoming the Hema Committee Report and urging the Bengali government to form an independent committee ‘to investigate workplace harassment and gender-based violence’ in the Bengali film industry.
Sharing pictures of the five-page letter on their respective Instagram handles, the actors, who are also part of the Women’s Forum for Screen Workers (WSFW +), said that they “shared their first letter to the CMO and are looking forward to initiating conversation with the honourable Chief Minister of West Bengal on our safety and dignity in the screen entertainment industry”.
Take a look at the letter here:
With reference to the rape and murder incident at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, the actors, in their letter, drew attention to the unsafe working conditions for minors in the film industry.
Their terms and conditions for the committee included:
1. Investigating incidents of sexual harassment and abuse (physical, sexual, verbal, psychological, digital & others) in the screen entertainment industry of West Bengal.
2. Reviewing compliance with the PoSH Act, 2013 in all production companies, studios, and other screen entertainment industry workplaces.
3. Ensuring that minors working in the industry are protected as per the POCSO Act, 2012.
4. Recommending structural reforms, in tune with the Social Security Provisions for Film and Television Industry Workers in the Occupational Safety, Health and Working Conditions Code, 2020 (37 of 2020) that provides a comprehensive definition of ‘audio-visual worker’, streamlining: (i) nature of assignment; (ii) wages and other benefits (including provident fund, if covered under the Employees’ Provident Fund and Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952); (iii) health and working conditions; (iv) safety; (v) hours of work; (vi) welfare facilities.
5. Investigating the exploitative practices prevalent in the screen entertainment industry in the absence of formal contracts between the employers and the majority of screen workers, which has led to widespread issues of job insecurity, payment disputes and severe exploitation. The investigation should assess the impact of this on our employment rights and the extent to which this contributes to unfair labour practices.
6. Suggesting legal reforms based on international best practices, such as the ILO Convention No. 190 on Gender-based Violence and Harassment.
Earlier, actor Ritabhari Chakraborty also urged Mamata Banerjee to form a similar committee. The actor shared that the Chief Minister responded to her request by forming a committee to address cases of sexual harassment in the Bengali film industry, with no members from the film industry included.
In the post, Ritabhari Chakraborty mentioned, “Yesterday, Chief Minister @mamataofficial responded to our request to create a similar body like the Hema Committee. My request for the body to not have any political names or film personalities was heard.”
See her post here:
The Hema Committee Report, which alleges sexual exploitation and harassment of women in the Malayalam film industry, has sparked widespread outrage, with several celebrities opening up about harassment and exploitation they themselves have faced.
Following the report, actor Samantha requested the Telangana government to publish the Hema Committee report on sexual harassment in the Telugu film industry, following Women in Cinema Collective’s efforts.