‘I felt unsafe…’: Actress Shraddha Srinath expresses her concerns about the Hema committee report

Trigger warning: This specific article contains information about sexual abuse that may be triggering to some readers.

The South film industry, especially the Malayalam industry, has been under fire since the recent release of the Hema Committee Report. In a new turn of events, Kannada actress Shraddha Srinath commented on the issue and stressed on the need to set up more structured bodies to combat systematic abuse. Shraddha, who was a guest at Indian Today’s Mind Rocks Youth Summit, said that she never felt unsafe while working on film sets, but stressed on the need for proper sanitation for women on film sets.

Shraddha said, “I felt safe. I’ve felt unsafe outside of my workspace, like coming home from a party or constantly thinking about what my driver was looking at. And I’ve felt this way since I was eight years old. I’ve been lucky that I haven’t had to go through anything in the industry. That doesn’t mean others don’t struggle.”

Moreover, the actress admitted that it is difficult, especially when women who have had bad experiences do not know who to confide in. “We need a structured body to look into this (harassment). Small changes would also help. Something as simple as a sari draper or a hair stylist, there are no proper toilets on sets for them. Such basic changes will help. People should listen to this and be part of the conversation,” Shhraddha added.

For the unversed, the Hema Commission report came to light after it was made public on August 19 this year. The report had mentioned the widespread exploitation of women in the Malayalam film industry. Further, the Hema Commission report also revealed cases of sexual abuse, casting couch and male-dominated power structure in the film industry, among other issues.

Many well-known personalities, such as Nivin Pauly, Siddique, Jayasurya, Edavela Babu and Maniyanpilla Raju, directors Ranjith and VK Prakash and production heads Vichu, Baburaj and director Tulasidas, have come into the spotlight after the publication of the Hema Commission report.

Disclaimer: Do not hesitate to seek help if you or someone you know has been emotionally, physically or verbally abused. You are not alone in this struggle and there are several helplines you can call.

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