Serious measures against rape cases in Nollywood have been put in place to deal with offenders past and present.
This is following on from frequent reports from female aspiring artistes that directors and producers often demand sex in exchange for roles.
There is also a renewed consciousness about the rape scourge in the larger society particularly due to the violence that has also greeted the barbaric act.
In response to the cries of young artistes in the creative industry and Nollywood in particular, the Directors’ Guild of Nigeria (DGN) has set up a Sexual Offences Committee. The committee will investigate allegations against its members and recommend sanctions against offenders.
Members of the committee include: Pat Oghre (Chairman)Ibinola Remix (Secretary), Francis Onwochei, Tony Akposheri, Tope Oshin.
The body also seeks the co-operation of all members and industry stakeholders to curb the cases of sex for role, rape and sexual harassment.
The terms of reference was signed by Uche Agbo, National Secretary of DGN. In addition to the serious measure against rape in Nollywood, an intra-guild sensitisation campaign has been set up to educate members about the implications of the disgraceful offence.
Members are also encouraged to participate in Inter Guild activities that aim to eradicate sexual offences in the industry.
An email addresses has been opened to receive complaints, reports and petitions. All reports past and present will be investigated by the committee who will in turn recommend commensurate sanctions against offenders.
The email addresses include: speakout@dgn.org.ng; speakouttodgn@gmail.com.
The DGN encourages all past and present victims of rape in Nollywood to send their petitions to the mentioned email addresses.
Part of the memo from the guild says that the “the DGN uses this opportunity to vehemently condemn rape in its entirety within and outside the film industry. It is a derogatory and criminal act and no one deserves to be raped, regardless of the circumstances.
The memo added that “cases will be treated with the ultimate confidentiality”
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