In the 2023 edition of the “White Paper on Measures to Prevent Deaths from Overwork“, approved by the Japanese government for publication on October 13, The harsh reality faced by people within the arts and entertainment industry was revealedwhich includes the voice actresses (seiyuus).
When it comes to sexual harassment, more than 20 percent of actors, stunt performers, announcers and voice actresses reported having had experiences. Specifically, in the case of voice actresses and announcers, one in four reported having been a victim of harassment.
The survey was carried out between October and December of last year, with the participation of 640 professionals in the field of art and entertainment. Among those who responded, The percentage of people who reported experiencing sexual harassment, such as “being touched inappropriately by work colleagues” or “being pressured to have sex,” was highest among voice actresses and announcers, reaching 25.7%.followed by 20.4% of actors and stuntmen, and 16.7% of writers and creators.
Regarding harassment in general, the statement of “work colleagues saying hurtful things” was the most common. In the case of voice actresses and announcers, this was reported by almost 70%, while in the case of actors and stuntmen, it was reported by more than 50%. The government intends to address the prevention of such incidents through the dissemination of guidelines for establishing fair contractual relationships in the field of culture and the arts.including a model contract that was published in July of last year.
And of course, the information did not go unnoticed in the comment forums:
- «After scandal within Johnny & Associates, the voice acting industry is next to go under the knife».
- «This is the dark side of voice acting».
- «The voice acting industry is full of cretins, apparently».
- «You can’t just criticize Johnny & Associates anymore, the entire entertainment industry is rotten».
- «It seems that otakus transfer their desire to sleep with the seiyuus to the staff who work with them.».
- «I think it’s simply because the actors on stage have a manager who accompanies them, but the voice actresses are completely alone all the time.».
- «As I remember, the president of Gainax had been arrested for sexually harassing a young voice actress».
- «Having a voice actress dub a sex and moaning scene is in itself an act of sexual assault, as they did with Misato Katsuragi’s voice.».
- «Well, I have heard that if you maintain an active sexual life, you will have a better voice.».
Fountain: Yaraon!
