Veteran actress, Joke Silva, has called for the eradication of all forms of sexual harassment against women in the film industry and negative stereotypes.
The President of the Forum of Women in Film and TV in Nigeria said this at the Women in Film and TV Conference on Wednesday in Lagos.
Silva said: “The importance of women in the film industry is paramount to shaping our nation.
“So, we need a safe and conducive environment in order to thrive.
“All forms of sexual harassment in the film industry must be eradicated as it kills the nation in so many ways that you cannot imagine.
“It is also important that we get rid of all forms of negative stereotypes in films where we paint some things in a certain way while in reality, it truly isn’t like that.
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“We also need more women in the government in order to make policies and strengthen our stance in the country.”
Anita Duckworth-Bradshaw, Life Coach, Powerhouse Global Magazine, encouraged women who had been abused in the industry to speak out in order to help with their healing process.
She added that being healed from past trauma would ensure that the victim had an impactful change in the industry.
Duckworth-Bradshaw said: “There are a lot of damages that have been done to women and we need to start talking to address the issues and also help with the healing process.
“We must deal with the hurt so as to give our full self to the industry and must ensure that we share our pain so as to ease up the load we have in our mind.
“This would also help in eradicating the bad eggs in the industry and ensure that such bad elements are replaced with good ones.”
Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Co-founder, The African Women’s Development Fund, emphasised on the importance of seeing challenges as a stepping stone to achieving great things.
Adeleye-Fayemi also highlighted the need for women to be given the right platform to perform in all forms of entertainment, noting that the importance of women could not be overemphasised.
Beatrice Eyong, Director, UN Women Country, said: “Women should become irreplaceable and indispensable in the industry so that when they are not there, their impact will be felt.
“We need to support women in making decisions in the film industry as there is also the need for the industry to adopt certain principles which will serve as guidelines for everyone.”
The event featured panel discussions on forming a sustainable and formidable network as well as the settings of structure, technology and infrastructure in the country.
