Vicky Zugah: Criticisms forcing sexual harassment victims to shut up

Actress Vicky Zugah has revealed that public criticisms and scepticism are holding back many victims of sexual harassment and abuse in the movie industry from telling their stories.

Speaking on Showbiz A-Z on JoyFM, she explained that although the public would generally encourage people to tell their stories, especially in cases when people are asked for sex in exchange for roles, they cannot guarantee the response that will follow nor are they assured of support.

“When you name and shame they tell you and ‘you're messing up with people who are married. These are people who have moved on and are married, are in relationships and you are naming them and this is in the past you should move on yourself and get a life.'”

“They say you are bitter because you're still single that's why you're naming them. You see so you just don't know what to do with people. You can't please anybody,” Vicky Zugah said.

Vicky Zugah added that other victims of sexual harassment also cannot risk being blacklisted or having their experience used against them in the future.

“In this part of the world when you're this vocal they think that you're not wife material. So, if you're a woman who is hoping to get married one day or who is aspiring to be maybe a politician, or any other figure, then you don't need to say these things on air or expose yourself like this because you be blacklisted,” she said.

Despite these adversities, Vicky Zugah encouraged actors who face such situations to tell their stories, naming and shaming perpetrators if they want to. (Read Appietus: It's going to be difficult competing with Nigerians over Afrobeats)

She, however, added that victims who feel a confession will not bring them peace and wish to put the past behind them should do so.

This comes after veteran actress Akofa Edjeani said on Showbiz A-Z nearly two weeks ago that she lost a movie role because she refused to sleep with a film director.

After the show, another actress (name withheld), shared her story with the production team.

According to Vicky Zugah, she was introduced to a movie producer by a friend who attends the same church as him. She said the man liked her instantly and asked her to come over to his office for an audition the next day. 

What happened next is synonymous with a lot of stories that have been told about sexual exploitation in Ghanaian entertainment.

Meanwhile, the Lead Consultant for Robert Smith Law Group Bobby Banson called on the Ghana Actors Guild to put in place measures to halt sexual harassment of actors, popularly termed 'sex for roles', in the film industry.

Also speaking on the show, the private legal practitioner said that the leadership of the guild can take the initiative to create a legally binding written pledge on sexual harassment in collaboration with the Film Producers Association of Ghana (FIPAG).

This undertaking, he explained, will ensure that all producers, directors and others are prohibited from sexually harassing actors and abusing their power or face some consequences.