Emma Watson has teamed up with Time’s Up UK to create a free legal advice hotline for women in England and Wales experiencing workplace sexual harassment. According to Mashable, this is the only line of its kind available in the UK.
Legal aid will be provided by Rights of Women. Rights of Women staffers and volunteers will cover the hotline. Callers can use the line for advice about what legally constitutes sexual harassment, information about settlements and non-disclosure agreements, and instructions on how to file a grievance or make a claim. Financial support comes from the Time’s Up UK Justice and Equality Fund.
“It’s completely staggering to think that this is the only service of its type given that research has found that as many as one in two women experience sexual harassment in the workplace,” Watson stated. “Understanding what your rights are, how you can assert them, and the choices you have if you’ve experienced harassment, is such a vital part of creating safe workplaces for everyone, and this advice line is such a huge development in ensuring that all women are supported, wherever we work,” she said.
“From the woman who isn’t sure if she’s just ‘making a fuss’ to the woman who is overtly harassed at work, the helpline aims to support the women who need them,” explained Seyi Newell, project director for Rosa, the UK gender equality fund that manages the Time’s Up UK Justice and Equality Fund.
Organizations such as IMDbPro, Cannes Film Festival, and Women In Film have introduced similar sexual harassment hotlines since fall 2017, when the Harvey Weinstein revelations reinvigorated the #MeToo movement.
Watson helped launch the Time’s Up UK Justice and Equality Fund in 2018 with a £1 million donation (about $1.22 million USD). Since its inception, the Fund has backed several UK organizations supporting survivors of sexual harassment and abuse.
The “Harry Potter” franchise, “The Perks of Being a Wallflower,” “The Bling Ring,” and “Beauty and the Beast” are among Watson’s best-known credits. Next, she’s portraying eldest March sister Meg in Greta Gerwig’s “Little Women.” The Louisa May Alcott adaptation hits theaters December 25.
