Visual Women calls for reparations and protection measures for the most vulnerable people in the film industry

BarcelonaA study commissioned by the Dones Visuals association and the University of Barcelona confirms the inequalities and violence suffered by the most vulnerable groups within the film industry. The report, presented this Thursday, is titled Study of violence and inequalities in Catalan audiovisual mediaThe study interviewed 52 people of color, gender non-conforming individuals, LGBTQIA+ individuals, or people with disabilities. Based on these conversations, the analysis concludes that the majority of these individuals "have suffered violence throughout their working lives in the Catalan audiovisual sector," while "remedial or protective measures implemented by the industry itself are practically nonexistent." "The study stems from an initial approach by Mujeres Visuales (Visual Women) using their own data. They observed that many groups are underrepresented in the industry, and we wanted to understand the reasons for this absence," explains Maria José Masa, one of the UB researchers who participated in the study. The report identified three cases of physical assault in the workplace and states that "although infrequent, they are notable for their persistence." In contrast, it confirms the existence of verbal abuse, which "is the most frequent in the sector and is primarily motivated by racism and sexism," workplace harassment, and abuse of power. The study exposes situations of symbolic violence such as "unwelcoming work environments, condescending and paternalistic attitudes, and men's appropriation of women's proposals and ideas."

Segregation and lack of access

The report states that there is "a praxis The report describes a widespread segregation of the interviewees, who are relegated to less visible, less leadership-oriented, and less creative professional roles and tasks. In the case of professionals with disabilities, a structural lack of accessibility has been identified. The study cites the example of deaf people, who often cannot complete their training and face a lack of financial resources for companies to hire interpreters. All of this has a significant impact on the professional careers of these individuals, often leading to their expulsion from the sector or a change of field, the study states. "Through this report, we have tried to highlight all these situations of violence to understand how they manifest. Looking ahead, it would be interesting to include variables in other studies to see how they specifically affect these groups," Masanet emphasizes. "We must continue working to drive a real transformation of the audiovisual industry with the aim of becoming a professional space where everyone, and specifically women and racialized, LGBTQ+ people with diverse gender identities, have access, recognition, and real decision-making power within the entire ecosystem," the report concludes.