Time's Up. These two words have reverberated across the globe since over 300 women in Hollywood joined forces to form a movement to combat systemic sexual harassment across all workplaces.
SEE ALSO:Emma Watson's big donation kicks off the new Time's Up fund in the UKThe initiative— launched by the biggest names in the U.S. entertainment industry—has raised $21 million for its legal defence fund in the past month alone.
Across the Atlantic ocean, British actors, directors, and producers have followed in the footsteps of their U.S. counterparts by setting up a UK fund to "end a culture where harassment and abuse are commonplace." While inspired by their U.S. sisters, this UK chapter of Time's Up will not be a mirror image of the legal defence fund.
The Time's Up Legal Defence fund provides "subsidised legal support" to people who've experienced harassment, abuse, or assault at work. But, Rosa UK, the organisation managing the fund, says that the UK will be battling the "endemic" culture of harassment and abuse in a different way.
And after eight days, the fund has already raised £1,590,160 of its £2 million goal.
Samantha Rennie, Rosa's executive director, says the actors behind the UK effort—including Emma Watson, Saoirse Ronan, Emilia Clarke, and Carey Mulligan—wanted to "work closely with grassroots, frontline organisations" working to end systemic harassment and abuse across all workplaces.
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"We know from very recent research that up to 60 percent of women and girls in the UK have experienced unwanted sexual harassment at work," says Rennie.
In terms of gender equality, Rennie says that "by many indications" the UK's progress in this field appears to be "going backwards."
"The UK is the fifth-biggest economy in the world, and the 20th most gender equal country in the world, according to DAVOS data. But, 10 years ago, we were the 9th most gender equal country," says Rennie.
"We know these problems are systemic, cultural, and complex in the UK. They'll require a different approach to the Time’s Up fund, which is purely legal defence," she says. "The women in the entertainment industry who mobilised to create the fund wanted the fund to catalyse a culture change."
All of us are responsible for creating change, whatever industry you work in. We're asking everyone to help create a world we can be proud of - one that is safe, just and equal. Please join us and donate to the new Justice and Equality Fund, which will support frontline organisations that are working to end a culture where harassment and abuse are commonplace. Together we can spread our message, support the strong people of all genders who are taking such personal risks, and make sure that this is one of those watershed moments in history where things never go back to the way they were before. This is the moment we stand together and say. #TIMESUP. We hope you’ll stand with us.
And, that culture change will be brought about by thousands of organisations who could benefit from the existence of this fund.
"In the UK, there's a strong network of trade unions and women's organisations working in this space" of gender equality and workplace harassment, she said. These organisations want to create a significant shift in British culture, but an absence of funding is standing in the way. "While there have been an estimated 20K organisations working on these issues for decades, they are massively underfunded and often volunteer-led," Rennie adds.
Female activists working at these organisations penned a separate open letter, outlining their vision to create a "major shift across our societies," and explaining what is currently standing in the way of shifting the culture of harassment, abuse, and impunity.
The letter highlighted the lack of funding, which is currently holding these organisations back from fulfilling their full potential. "This shift needs to be intersectional and it needs to attend to all structural inequality and oppressions," read the letter.
"A 2013 survey of European charitable foundations showed less than 5 percent of funds were targeted towards women," read the letter. "It should therefore come as no surprise that many of the organisations that have been fighting for justice and equality are chronically underfunded."
We write today as activists, organisers, advocates and campaigners working to end violence against women and girls. We work in rape crisis centres, specialist black and minority ethnic women’s organisations, disabled women’s organisations, refuges, helplines, advice services, women’s infrastructure organisations, community organisations, women’s campaigning groups, universities, trade unions, women’s networks and more.
We write to you as a diverse group of women, speaking to other women, about the world that we live in, and the one that we know it is possible to create.
One reason behind this lack of funding the UK's reliance on smaller donors due to a cultural difference in philanthropy. "In the UK, there's a very different culture of philanthropy and giving. We don’t rely on big philanthropists, we rely on lots of smaller ones," says Rennie.
So, how exactly will this fund work? Rennie says that, in consultation with actors, organisations, trade unions, they identified a "sophisticated approach to tackling issues."
The fund will have three distinct strands. The first, according to Rennie, is to provide advice and support, to ensure women are aware of their rights, and have access to quality advice and specialists.
The second strand will support legal and policy work. "It will shift the dial by drawing out specific cases that by tackling them we could pave way for a more equitable future for others," says Rennie.
The third strand will focus on "advocacy and prevention," and will "strengthen and connect projects that tackle the issues of women's and girls' rights and safety."
Members of the public can donate easily to the Justice and Equality fund via its dedicated JustGiving page.
"This is an opportunity to turn a moment into a movement, to change cultures, and to embed those changes in a long-lasting way," says Rennie.
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