Concern over the increasing instances of cyber bullying and online harassment, and the representation of women in reality shows on television dominated the consultation on ‘Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act, 1986’ organised by the Telangana State Women’s Commission here on Saturday.
The consultation was organised consequent to the amendments proposed to the Act to widen its scope and applicability, and the proposal to constitute a central authority with the representatives from National Commission for Women, Advertising Standard Council of India, Press Council of India, and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.
The amendments seek to extend the Act to audio-visual media including internet, besides expanding the definition of ‘Publish’ to include computer, satellite related or communicated intra or Internet communications.
Participants in the consultation included representatives from NGOs and media. Mamatha Raghuveer from Taruni emphasised on the need for a cultural change to be brought about through education. She expressed concern over the portrayal of women in reality shows. Rajeshwari Kalyanam, a journalist, drew attention to the fact that children were being allowed to watch films with ‘A’ certification, and such films were being telecast during prime time on television.
Chairperson of the Telangana State Women’s Commission, Tripurana Venkataratnam, expressed concerns over media sensationalising the cases of sexual harassment, attracting more youth towards the crime. K. Satyavathi and Prashanti from Bhumika Women’s Collective spoke about harassment through online dating apps.
