SAG-AFTRA responded to calls for additional safety protocols for child actors following 2013 reports Silence on the set: The dark side of youngsters’s television.
Last month, they were Amanda’s show author Jenny Kilgen, who also appears in Investigation Discovery documentaries, wrote an open letter to the actors’ union, calling on them to “take action to initiate and implement robust child safety protocols to protect young actors.” She also expressed support for state and federal laws.
Five parts Quiet on set the documents outlined allegations of harassment, sexism, racism and inappropriate behavior involving underage stars and crew members on Nickelodeon television shows hosted by Dan Schneider.
In response to Kilgen’s letter, SAG-AFTRA Contracts Director Ray Rodriguez wrote: “The union takes the safety of young performers very seriously and devotes a lot of time to supporting important legal protection of minors and administering contract requirements for young contractors. We give priority to complaints involving minors, maintain a founding committee of young performers, and help fund and manage programs such as “Looking Ahead,” which educate young performers concerning the lifetime of a child actor.”
The statement continued: “Additionally, the newest SAG-AFTRA agreement requires a background check on any “teacher or social employee (or other person designated to perform the identical duties as a social employee, resembling a child labor coordinator) who is employed by Producer to supervise or teach minors employed under the Agreement. We have further authorized Producers to require a background check as a condition of employment for “any person working in close proximity to one or more minors, other than the minor who is the minor’s child/guardian.”
The performers’ union also noted that it has a Safer Set hotline for on-set safety issues, in addition to a reporting tool that gives referrals for therapeutic, legal or law enforcement assistance.
According to California law, people who find themselves required to register as sex offenders are prohibited from providing services to minors working within the entertainment industry. Additionally, those wishing to work with minors must pass a criminal background check and procure a child performer permit. However, on-set background checks should not required if the minor is accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Kilgen specifically called for the implementation of safeguards resembling “mandatory background checks, appropriate adult training, transparency in investigations and reporting policies, and open access to mental health providers throughout the employment cycle (and, if necessary, after).” She also suggested making a special task force to improve the “safety and welfare of children” within the entertainment industry and conduct an audit of SAG-AFTRA’s current policies.
Kilgen continued in her letter: “I hope this motion will address and help dismantle the present power dynamics within the industry that seemingly exist to protect the financial well-being of studios and networks, often on the expense of the emotional, mental and physical well-being of the kids they employ – This is a dynamic where predatory behavior is possible and oldsters are too often sidelined.”
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