Emma Watson has kickstarted the launch of a free advice line for women.
The advice line, run by the charity Rights of Women, will have volunteers with legal experience at the end of the phone to advise women in England and Wales on the law concerning workplace sexual harassment and their rights with regards to it.
A post #MeToo and Harvey Weinstein scandal initiative, the line has been kickstarted by donations from Watson and members of the public, it's funded by Time's UP and managed by the legal advice charity Rosa.
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The advice line will provide legal advice to women on issues such as explaining what behaviour constitutes sexual harassment, how to bring grievances against employers, how to make a claim to an Employment Tribunal, the laws around settlement agreements and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and more.
Watson said she was delighted that the new line would be launching but that it was 'staggering' to think it's the only one of its type given the statistics that one in two women say they have experienced sexual harassment at work.
'It finally feels like people are realising the scale of the problem and I'm certainly hopeful that with [new] global standards we'll start to see a new climate of prevention and accountability on this issue domestically,' the Harry Potter actress said in a statement.
'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.
The phone number, for anyone needing to call the service, is 020 7490 0152 and at the moment is open Mondays and Tuesdays, though more opening hours will be available in the coming months.
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Olivia Blair is Entertainment Editor (Luxury) at Hearst UK, working across ELLE, Esquire and Harper's Bazaar. Olivia covers all things entertainment and has interviewed the likes of Margot Robbie, Emma Stone, Michaela Coel and Ryan Gosling over the years.
