As I reel myself out of a “never again” relapse for the millionth time since December 2016, I sit in front of my computer listening to logs of women as they recall the abuse they faced at the hands of men.
Not a very reassuring way to snap out of a relapse, I know – but if you have a few minutes to spare, hear me out as I tell you why.
I am an independent filmmaker and an activist, and unbeknownst to me, I seem to have taken up a gargantuan project as my fifth film – India’s first feature length documentary on workplace sexual harassment, a project I have been working on for more than a year.
You can watch the trailer of my film here:
Does workplace sexual harassment operate in isolation? Do misogynistic men who abuse women at home and in the streets suddenly become perfectly respectable men at workplaces? Obviously they don’t – in fact, the indictment of hierarchy makes it far easier for men to be predators at workplaces.
So, how can workplace abuse and violence be looked at as a problem removed from the overarching patriarchy in our society? That’s why the problem of tackling this ginormous issue needs all the care and intelligence – something I can’t do by myself.
I am not dwelling on the precarious lives these women live and the urgency of retribution, because the obviousness of it is an understatement. What I do intend to dwell on, is calling out an amendment that claims to protect these women against sexual abuse and violence.
Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 came after nearly 20 years of struggle since Vishakha – and a century of fight for women’s rights – something that claims to provide a solution for the spectrum of workplaces in the country, and herein lies the issue.
So can one Act tackle issues faced by a street vendor and a corporate CEO alike? You’d think not – but then, how many of us are actually concerned enough to do anything about it? My previous organisations certainly did not – and now that I am a freelancer, it makes matters worse.
I have completed filming the interviews; some of them have spoken for four hours straight, and I am left with hours of footage of misery, camaraderie and grit – a strange concoction, right?
To help me crowdfund this film, follow this link: bit.ly/bwwswfilm
To follow updates about the project, please visit: www.facebook.com/limesodafilms
(Vaishnavi is an odd mix of interests involving cinema, arts, writing & all things feminist.)
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