Collective seeks protection from cyber attacks for survivors of harassment in Malayalam film industry

A collective of activists, writers and filmmakers have demanded the state government to take strict action against those masterminding cyber attacks against women who have come forward to speak about sexual harassment and labor exploitation in the Malayalam film industry in light of the release of the Hema. committee report.

In a petition to the Prime Minister, signed by more than 150 people, the collective also asked the government to seriously consider the complaints of the survivors.

The collective noted that similar types of content are being pushed through various online pages as part of a deliberate and organized attack to silence and discredit survivors. The government should also establish a system to provide legal and psychological support to the complainants. A monitoring system should be put in place to ensure the effective functioning of the internal committees on all film sets.

If existing laws are insufficient to safeguard the rights of those working in the entertainment industry, a comprehensive law in this regard and a special tribunal to hear complaints should be enacted at the earliest, the collective said in the petition.