City filmmaker crowdfunds docu on workplace harassment

The documentary scrutinises The 2013 Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace Act by examining its shortcomings by juxtaposing the expectations and realities of seeking redressal under the Act. “It bothers me that there are no proper complaint committees set up and no proactive redressal of filed complaints, despite there being a legislation like this. Five years ago, when I took up an entrepreneurship, I realised being a salaried employee or being the boss makes zero difference to your life if you are a woman — you will be harassed. In all my experiences with abuse in the hands of many men I have worked with, almost every time, the patriarchal society has gaslighted me into believing that I will never win and that it was always my fault. So, in December last year, I decided to do something about it,” says Vaishnavi. 

Vaishnavi interviewed many sexual harassment victims on camera for the documentary, to bring to the public first person encounters of their struggle. Sonam Mittal, the founder of Azaadi which mainly works against sexual harassment at workplace, is one such victim who was sexually harassed by two different employers of hers while working for an environmental NGO in the country. “The one who harassed me was a senior employee and I was the third person to file an official complaint against him. Two years later, I find out that my complaints weren’t forwarded to the Internal Complaint’s Committee. It’s funny that women are blamed for anything happening to them. By mere definition, rape cannot be asked for,” says Sonam.

She adds, “I have also talked to people who work outside the conventional ‘office space’ – like those who belong to unorganised sectors - and included stories of male victims of sexual harassment at work. There are some successful stories and some very unsuccessful stories of sexual harassments in the film. The film also digs deeper into the victim shaming culture that our society uses to deflect the blame,” says Vaishnavi. To discuss the issue in-depth, Vaishnavi also brought in opinions of lawmakers and implementers. 

The documentary is being made through crowdfunding. The makers have already collected 40 per cent of their target budget. Apart from its social relevance, the documentary is also interesting because it is made by an all-woman leadership crew, including Hollywood music composer Miriam Mayers, who has worked in projects like Saving Private Ryan. 

“I would love to screen the documentary in different workplaces and keep the conversation going. I don’t believe that this film will directly result in zero crimes against women. My film is my expression of angst, a means to bring to light the violent crimes against women. I hope it will serve as a manual for companies to understand how to set up efficient complaint committees,” she signs off.