FEMALE STARS WANT END TO HARASSMENT
MORE than 190 of Britain’s leading female entertainment stars are demanding the eradication of sexual harassment from across all industries ahead of tonight’s Bafta film Awards.
Double Oscar winner Emma Thompson, Naomie Harris and Jodie Whittaker are among signatories to an open letter, standing shoulder to shoulder with the Time’s Up movement in calling for an end to harassment, abuse and impunity in a world “ripe for change”.
The stars of film, TV and stage have joined forces with more than 160 activists, academics and service providers, to launch a new fund aiming to resource a network of support and advocacy organisation projects across the UK.
It comes ahead of tonight’s Bafta Awards, where some of Britain’s biggest stars will be joined by activists on the red carpet, while attendees wear black in solidarity with Time’s Up – the movement launched following the sexual harassment scandal which engulfed Hollywood after an avalanche of allegations were made against film producer Harvey Weinstein.
Published in The Observer, the open letter – also signed by stars including Emma Watson, Gemma Arterton, Letitia Wright and Olivia Colman – states: “This movement is bigger than just a change in our industry alone.
“This movement is intersectional, with conversations across race, class, community, ability and work envi- ronment, to talk about the imbalance ce of power.”
The letter highlights the gender er pay gap, the insecurities of the gig ig economy and freelance work, as well ell as research which found more than an half of women in the UK have experirienced sexual harassment at work.
The letter reads: “In the very near ar past, we lived in a world where sexxual harassment was an uncomfortaable joke; an unavoidable awkward rd part of being a girl or a woman.
“It was certainly not to be disscussed, let alone addressed. In 2018, 8, we seem to have woken up in a world ld ripe for change. If we truly embrace ce this moment, a line in the sand will ill turn to stone.”
It says high-profile stars “need to use our power as communicators rs and connectors to shift the way sociiety sees and treats us”.
“We need to examine the kind of f womanhood our industry pro- motes and sells to the world.”
They call for “collective power” in n bringing the Time’s Up movement t to workers across all industries “in n the limelight or the shadows” to o galvanise others and invite supporters to donate to their new fund.
Managed by Rosa, the UK Justice e And Equality Fund aims to make ke workplaces safe for all and ensure re anyone subjected to harassment and nd abuse is able to access support.
They say the Baftas is a time to “celebrate this tremendous moment of solidarity and unity across borders by coming together and making this movement international”.
Arterton, Harris, Andrea Riseborough, Gemma Chan, and T e Tessa Thompson will be joined at the prestigious event by activist guests, in a move mirroring the Golden Globes last month.