Comprehensive legislation proposed for entertainment industry, Kerala Women’s Commission tells HC

Commission says proposed legislation will take care of overall well-being of stakeholders in cinema and other diverse sectors of entertainment industry

The Kerala Women’s Commission on Thursday informed the Kerala High Court that it was working on a proposed comprehensive legislation aimed at addressing the labour, sexual harassment, and welfare issues in the entertainment industry.

In a statement filed before the Special Division Bench, the commission said that the proposed legislation would take care of the overall well-being of stakeholders in the entertainment industry encompassing diverse sectors such as music, film, television, theatre, circus, visual arts, and fashion. An Act titled the Kerala Entertainment Industry Equality and Empowerment Act could be enacted, with anti-discriminatory principles as its primary objectives. The proposed Act would emphasise that all entertainment artisets, regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, or any other identity marker, are entitled to equal opportunities, protections, and respect.

On State List

The statement pointed out that entertainment, theatres, dramatic performances, cinemas (subject to the provisions of entry 60 of List I relating to sanctioning of cinematograph films for exhibition), sports, and amusements fall under Entry 33 of Schedule 7 on the State List ( List II) of the Constitution of India, thereby granting the State the legislative authority to enact relevant laws. The salient features of the proposed enactment are minimum wages could be scheduled based on various categories of entertainment artistes, including the 30 categories outlined in the K. Hema Committee report.

Gender sensitisation

Gender sensitisation training should be made a mandatory condition for registration with the Regulatory Authority. A tribunal should be constituted to uphold the rights and duties outlined in the Act. It will also serve as a supervisory body for the internal committees that must be mandatorily established. Separate guidelines, similar to the UGC (Prevention, Prohibition, and Redressal of Harassment in Higher Education Institutions) 2015, are recommended for the effective functioning of internal committees within the entertainment sector.

Published - October 03, 2024 08:02 pm IST