Bollywood is tackling the subject of sexual harassment in the workplace, which campaigners say is increasingly becoming an issue as traditional gender roles change in modern urban India.

“Hello Darling”, which was released on Friday, is inspired by the 1980 Hollywood comedy “Nine To Five” in which Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton seek to get even with their arrogant and sexist male boss.

The Hindi-language film – the latest to address more contemporary themes rather than the traditional Bollywood song and dance love story extravaganzas – stars Eesha Koppikhar, Celina Jaitley, Gul Panaag and Jaaved Jaffrey.

“’Hello Darling’ gives a very serious message to society,” said Koppikhar.

“There are some men in the corporate world who are always on the lookout to flirt with women.“The film speaks about such men and how women have to be careful and deal with them.” Sexual harassment – or “Eve teasing” as it is called in India – is a growing problem, as more women leave the home to go out to work, said Sudha Sundaraman, general secretary of the All India Democratic Women’s Association.

But she said unwanted sexual comments, contact or advances were not just confined to traditionally male-dominated offices. They also happened in the “unorganised sector”, where many women do jobs such as low-paid domestic work.

And women working often unsociable hours in so-called “sunrise” sectors such as call centres or the IT industry were vulnerable to sexual harassment or exploitation, she added.

“Attitudes are still very patriarchal,” she told AFP. “There’s a strong sense that women who are working or single in any of these institutions are somehow accessible. That also leads to sexual harassment.” The latest available government statistics indicate that crimes against women in India are increasing, with more than 12,000 cases of sexual harassment and over 40,000 of molestation recorded in 2008.

Indian field hockey was rocked last month by claims that the male coach of the women’s national team sexually harassed an unidentified player and the side’s video analyst consorted with prostitutes while on tour.

The coach resigned, denying the charges, while the video analyst was suspended.

Sexual harassment lawsuits have also been filed against top Indian executives at the country’s second-largest software exporter Infosys and the publisher Penguin, leading to out-of-court settlements.

But most victims are thought to refrain from reporting incidents, due to the social stigma, attitudes towards complaints – and the lack of faith in available remedies.

The widely reported cases involving Infosys and Penguin were brought in the United States and Canada.

Gender equality and the right to live in dignity are enshrined in India’s constitution but the country has no specific law to deal with sexual harassment in the workplace.

The Supreme Court issued guidelines after a landmark case in 1997 for all companies to take appropriate steps to prevent sexual harassment as well as investigate any complaints and take appropriate action.

But the guidelines are not mandatory, said Sundaraman, who has been pushing for a law to be passed, allowing the practice to continue virtually unchecked.—AFP

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