New Delhi (Sputnik) – After some of Bollywood’s most well-known actresses took a cue from the Harvey Weinstein scandal that rocked Hollywood and hinted at the prevalence of sexual harassment in the Indian film industry, the country's Ministry for Women and Child Development wrote to 24 prominent film producers, directors and production houses to insist that they ensure a safe, secure and inclusive environment for women they work with.
READ MORE: Six Women File Class Action Lawsuit Against ‘Weinstein Sexual Enterprise’
Minister Maneka Gandhi, in her letter, has asked all prominent Indian filmmakers to strictly adhere to the clauses enumerated in the Harassment of Women in the Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition Redressal) Act of 2013 and set up an internal complaints committee (ICC) for the redressing of grievances.
Smt. @ManekaGandhiBJP writes to leading film production houses to comply with the #SexualHarassmentAtWorkplace Act to provide a safe, secure & inclusive work environment for women in #Bollywood. pic.twitter.com/mwG7UHIksD
— Ministry of WCD (@MinistryWCD) 13 декабря 2017 г.
Top-notch film producers Karan Johar, Aamir Khan, Sanjay Leela Bhansali and Anurag Kashyap, are among those who were served the Women and Child Development Ministry’s notice.
Does Bollywood fear its own Harvey Weinstein? Industry reacts to Maneka Gandhi's… https://t.co/EGerxCWwp3
— Bollywood Khabar (@BollywoodKhabar) 15 декабря 2017 г.
“Bollywood filmmakers are ethically and legally accountable for the safety of not only their direct employees but of all outsourced and temporary staffs as well,” Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi said in a statement.
#Bollywood film-makers are ethically & legally accountable for the safety of not only their direct employees, but of all outsourced and temporary staff as well: Smt. @ManekaGandhiBJP. #SexualHarassmentAtWorkplace pic.twitter.com/kvrOUcIxqH
— Ministry of WCD (@MinistryWCD) 13 декабря 2017 г.
To ensure effective implementation of #SexualHarassmentAtWorkplace Act, Ministry has developed an online complaint management system #SHeBox https://t.co/6K0T9udYay. #Bollywood pic.twitter.com/n0rPScBhB4
— Ministry of WCD (@MinistryWCD) 13 декабря 2017 г.
Safety of women is a priority of our Government. Associating with film production houses to set up ICC is a continuing outreach of @MinistryWCD. #SexualHarassmentAtWorkplace #Bollywood pic.twitter.com/eZD4HE0aUd
— Ministry of WCD (@MinistryWCD) 13 декабря 2017 г.
This proactive move by the Minister has been widely commended.
“It’s a good move by Maneka Gandhi and film producers should adhere to the guidelines of the sexual harassment legislation,” noted Indian film producer Prakash Jha told Sputnik.
Recently Indian film actresses including Priyanka Chopra, Vidya Balan, Kangana Ranaut and Richa Chaddha, had all come out in the open to make revelations about casting couches and other forms of sexual harassment of women in the Indian film industry. However, none of them have named names.
.@vidya_balan EXCLUSIVE | Why a Harvey Weinstein-like scandal is not limited to Hollywood pic.twitter.com/HTgJ96pxIq
— CNBC-TV18 News (@CNBCTV18News) 28 октября 2017 г.
.@PriyankaChopra speaks out on Harvey Weinstein scandal: "What we need is for men to stand up for feminism." https://t.co/M8tsxqW4LV
— InStyle (@InStyle) 20 октября 2017 г.
As #MeToo debate rages post-Weinstein @ThePrintIndia features @RichaChadha take. Sharp yet nuanced, as you’d expect https://t.co/UzwEhBOQ2b
— Shekhar Gupta (@ShekharGupta) 23 октября 2017 г.
