Sexual harassment in the movie industry is real – Lydia Forson

Ghanaian actress Lydia Forson has said the increasing complaint about sexual harassment by young actresses is becoming more rampant in recent times in the movie industry.

This comes after allegations against top film producer Harvey Weinstein have sent shockwaves through Hollywood. Lydia Forson spoke to Focus on Africa about her experiences of harassment in the Ghanaian movie industry.

“Earlier in my career just once, small time producer who asked to see my breast for a role I was auditioning for and I said NO and walked out.

“It’s unfortunate that it’s very common but it cuts across everywhere. Women are subjected to unwanted sexual advances from men in powerful positions especially who want to take advantage of their vulnerability. In Africa where there’s a lot of poverty and people are looking for a jobs, they know how to feed on peoples desperation,” Lydia Forson told BBC. Forson narrating a similar situation that happened to a young lady who desperately needed a role in a movie said, most of these promising actors are not treated fairly if they are reluctant to cooperate.

“An actress walked up to me and said she’s been trying to break up into the industry for several years but every producer wants to sleep with her and they named some big actresses that they slept with before giving them roles and threaten them if they refuse to cooperate,” Lydia Forson added. According to her, the only means to end this abuse is to speak up.