Justice Hema Committee "much needed" to break abuse: Khushbu
Chennai (PTI): Actor-politician Khushbu Sundar on Wednesday said the Kerala government-appointed Justice K Hema Committee was "much needed" to break the abuse faced by female professionals in Malayalam cinema and urged women not to compromise and the men to speak up for victims of sexual harassment.
The "MeToo" moment prevailing in "our industry breaks you," the senior actor said in a post on 'X.'
"Kudos to the women who have stood their ground and emerged victorious. The #HemaCommittee was much needed to break the abuse. But will it?," the BJP leader added.
The Justice Hema Committee was constituted by the Kerala government after the 2017 actress assault case and its report revealed instances of harassment and exploitation of women in the Malayalam cinema industry. It has revealed exploitation and abuse of women, leading to many women actors coming out with allegations of harassment at the hands of their male counterparts and other men in the cinema industry.
"Abuse, asking for sexual favours, and expecting women to compromise to gain a foothold or accelerate their careers exist in every field. Why is a woman alone expected to go through the grind? Although men too face it, it's marginally women who bear the brunt," Sundar said.
The fear of being shamed, victim blaming, and questions like "why did you do it" or "What made you do it" break the woman.
"The victim might be a stranger to you or me, but she needs our support, an ear to listen, and emotional backing from us all. When questioning why she didn’t come out earlier, we need to consider her circumstances – not everyone is privileged to speak out," she said.
"To all the men out there, I implore you to stand by the victim and show your unwavering support," she added.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Dhyan Chand lifetime award to be replaced by Arjuna lifetime
New Delhi, Oct 24: The sports ministry on Thursday announced the discontinuation of the Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime achievement from this year onwards and the introduction of the Arjuna Award Lifetime in its place in a bid to "rationalise" the various sporting honours of the country.
Instituted in 2002, the Dhyan Chand Lifetime Award, named after hockey wizard Major Dhyan Chand, is given to individuals in disciplines that are part of the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, among others.
In 2023, the award was given to former shuttler Manjusha Kanwar, ex-hockey exponent Vineet Kumar and kabaddi player Kavitha Selvaraj.
"The various schemes for sports awards have been rationalised wherein Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced in place of Dhyan Chand Award. To recognise the efforts of coaches at grassroots/development level, they are now eligible for the Dronacharya Award," said a ministry statement.
"The Arjuna Award (Lifetime) has been introduced and will be given for life time contribution to sports development.
"Further, to recognize the Khelo India scheme, the Maulana Abdul Kalam Azad (MAKA) Trophy will be given to the University for Overall Top Performance in Khelo India University Games," it added.
The last date for applying for the national sports awards for 2024 is November 14.
