60% of Underage Female Entertainers Say They Were “Pressured to Wear Revealing Outfits””

[ 8/22/2010 ]

A survey found that 60% of underage female entertainers who had exposed parts of their bodies, such as their legs, chests or buttocks, said they had been pressured to do so. It also found that more than three in ten young entertainers worked at least eight hours a day, exceeding the seven-hour daily limit cited for workers under 18. According to the report ‘An Analysis of Sexual Protection, Labor Rights and Education Rights of Young Entertainers,’ released by the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family on the 23rd, 10.2% of entertainers under 19 said they had exposed specific parts of their bodies. Among the female respondents who had done so, 60% said they had been pressured. The report also found that 9.1% of young entertainers had been directed to perform suggestive acts, including caressing, hugging or kissing, onstage or during filming. Another 4.5% reported experiencing sexually suggestive language, including sexual jokes, vulgar remarks, harassment or propositions. Among underage female entertainers, 56.1% said they had been encouraged to diet and 14.6% to undergo cosmetic surgery. The ministry cited these findings as examples of the sexual objectification of minors in entertainment. The survey also raised concerns about young entertainers’ access to education and their long working hours. Of the respondents attending elementary, middle or high school, 47.6% said they had missed at least half a day of classes per week during the first semester of this year. Another 19.5% said they had no time to study at all. As 65.9% said attending school was important, the ministry concluded that protecting young entertainers’ access to education was urgent. The report found that 36% of young entertainers worked eight hours or more a day, exceeding the seven-hour limit it cited for workers under 18. Another 41.0% said they had worked at night or on holidays. The ministry surveyed 103 young entertainers and aspiring entertainers—53 male and 50 female—from the 21st of last month to the 5th of this month. Its analysis of sexual protection covered those under 19; its labor-rights analysis covered those under 18; and its education analysis covered students in elementary, middle and high school. “Current law mainly protects children and teenagers as viewers, while protections for young people appearing in entertainment are inadequate,” a ministry official said. “Protections for young workers are not being applied, and there are no safeguards for their education rights.”