Violence against women in India

Report: Mollywood ruled by 'mafia of powerful men'

One of India's largest film industries "Mollywood" - the film center for Malayam - is controlled by "a mafia of powerful men" and thrives on "sexual abuse of women". It appears in a 290-page long report that was released after an almost five-year legal process, writes the BBC.

In addition, it appears that the actors in "Mollywood" work in wretched conditions: there is a lack of toilets, dressing rooms, no food or water and poor wages.

“There are no toilets, so women have to urinate behind bushes or thick trees. During menstruation, they cannot change pads for several hours and holding for a long time causes physical discomfort and makes them sick,” it said.

The report was a result of a sexual assault on actor Bhavana Menon that took place in 2017.

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"The report proves a systematic problem"

The report showing that "sexual abuse of women" is rampant in one of India's biggest film industries - Mollywood - proves that there is a systematic problem. That's what Beena Paul, founder of an organization for women working in industry, told the BBC.

- We were always told that we were the troublemakers. This report proves that it is significantly worse than we thought, she says.

In a 290-page report, it appears that Mollywood is controlled by "a mafia of powerful men" and that the actors work under miserable conditions.