The Time’s Up movement has well and truly arrived in the UK.
Sunday night’s BAFTA award ceremony saw stars from across the entertainment industry don black in support of the global movement for gender equality.
And on Monday morning, a nationwide fund was launched to support the frontline organisations aiming to crack down on harassment and abuse in the workplace.
Tonight, black is not just for the red carpet. Tonight, at the #BAFTAs and beyond, we wear black to say #TIMESUP on workplace abuse, inequality and harassment. Tonight, join us in your homes, your community and on social media as we show the world #WHYWEWEARBLACKpic.twitter.com/hg4tuaYoj9
— TIME'S UP (@TIMESUPNOW) February 18, 2018
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Emma Watson, actress, activist, and ambassador for UN Women, has already donated £1 million to the UK Justice and Equality Fund.
“All of us are responsible for creating change, whatever industry you work in,” wrote Watson in an Instagram post. “We’re asking everyone to help create a world we can be proud of — one that is safe, just, and equal.”
“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,” she added.
“This is the moment we stand together and say #TimesUP,” she wrote. “We hope you’ll stand with us.”
The fund — which will be managed by Rosa, the UK’s leading women’s fund — will help create a network of expert advice, support, and advocacy organisations across the UK, reported the Guardian.
The launch of the fund was announced in an open letter, which was signed by nearly 200 British and Irish women from across the entertainment industries — including Carey Mulligan, Emma Thompson, Kate Winslet, Sophie Okonedo, Kiera Knightly, Olivia Colman, Saoirse Ronan, Emilia Clarke, and Jodie Whittaker.
The letter, which begins “Dear Sisters,” says the Time’s Up movement is “bigger than just a change in our industry alone.”
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“This movement is intersectional, with conversations across race, class, community, ability, and work environment, to talk about the imbalance of power,” it reads. “So, we invite you to join us in donating to the new UK justice and equality fund, to spread the word to others and be a catalyst for change.”
It adds: “Everyone can make a difference by using your platform, your voice, and your power as a changemaker.”
A second letter, signed by leading activists and professional carers, and also released on Monday reads: “For each woman in the entertainment industry who has spoken out, there are thousands of women whose stories go unheard… These are not isolated incidents. This is about power and inequality; and it is systemic.”
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Watson continued her message in an Instagram video, in which she said that her “big passion” is to make sure that Time’s Up is a global movement, and added that it “feels good to be bringing this home.”
“This is about women standing shoulder to shoulder, women and men, across all workplaces because we know that this is happening everything,” she said.
“We are a really important part of it, we are an integral part of it,” she added. “And, we need to make sure our voices are uplifted and heard, too, and that the positive changes that we’ve seen here in the States are also happening elsewhere in the industry.”
Read more: Over 300 Women in Entertainment Say 'Time's Up' on Sexual Harassment
The fund also has a GoFundMe page, where donations can be made. According to the page, the fund will address priority nees, especially those of people in low paid, part-time, and freelance employment, and those who face intersecting disadvantages related to their race, age, class, immigration status, disability, or sexuality.
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