SAGA: STATEMENT ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ABUSE IN FILM AND TV

South African Guild of Actors: STATEMENT ON SEXUAL HARASSMENT AND ABUSE IN FILM AND TV

The reported sexual abuses perpetrated by powerful Hollywood figure Harvey Weinstein are testament to the toxic environment that has, for the longest time, festered below the surface of a ‘glamorous’ industry. Sadly, the current sensational coverage merely highlights the struggles that many in the entertainment industry across the globe, women in particular, have been enduring for generations.

The South African Guild of Actors recognises that sexual predators target the most vulnerable among us and believes it is incumbent on those with a voice to speak up and speak out. SAGA therefore calls on producers and managements within the local film, television and theatre industries to take responsibility for creating harmonious and respectful working environments free of discrimination and gender-based abuse.

As a member of the International Federation of Actors, SAGA has been participating in research into sex and gender-based violence and harassment in our industry, to be presented to the International Labour Organisation in the coming months. Together with the local advocacy group SWIFT, a viable Code of Conduct is being drafted for circulation among broadcasters, funding bodies, production companies and theatre managements in South Africa. 

SAGA urges leading industry stakeholders to stand up and to show their faces by adopting and enforcing the policies outlined in the Code. The actors’ Guild firmly believes that to remain silent is to tacitly endorse the kinds of abuse currently being spotlighted in news coverage and social media campaigns.

In an industry such as ours, with its scant regulation, discriminatory gate-keeping practices, unstable employment tenure and contractual inequities, abuse will continue to flourish unchecked in the absence of a Code of acceptable conduct; perpetrators will forever be shielded from scrutiny and remain unaccountable for their conduct. Where targets of harassment and sexual violence are unable to speak out for fear of victimisation, SAGA remains committed to providing an unequivocal voice.

SAGA is a politically non-aligned Guild, a member of Fédération Internationale des Acteurs (FIA) and a partner of the trade union UASA. The Guild represents entertainment professionals in all applications of theatre, film, television, radio and related media.