Emma teams up with Time's Up to launch sexual harassment hotline

Emma Watson

Former Harry Potter star Emma Watson is teaming up with Time's Up and Rights of Women organisation to launch legal advice hotline for women in the UK who have experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. According to Fox News, currently the cost-free service is available for women in England and Wales, and according to the British star, it's the only one of its kind.

"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," the 29-year-old star said in an official statement. "It finally feels like people are realizing the scale of the problem," the statement added.

According to the Rights of Women website and as reported by Fox News, the hotline was funded "by the public," and will help the UK women "get specialist legal advice on what behavior constitutes sexual harassment, how to bring a grievance against their employer, how to make a claim in the Employment Tribunal, settlement agreements and non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) and other related legal problems faced by women experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace."

Watson went on to explain the importance of the helpline in her 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," she said.

The actor has been a staunch supporter of the #MeToo movement, and in February last year, she notably donated about $1.4 million to the Justice and Equality Fund, a UK-based organisation which aims to prevent sexual harassment, assault, and discrimination.

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