Star actress Emma Watson shocks fans with a bold fundraising campaign, pulling in huge support to battle sexual harassment across the UK. See how she’s turning fame into fearless activism!
With a £1 million ($1.4 million) donation, actress and activist Emma Watson has launched a fundraising campaign for the Justice and Equality Fund to help women who have been sexually harassed and abused in the workplace in the UK.
The fund was announced in a letter in support of the US Time’s Up movement signed by 200 women, including actresses Kate Winslet, Emma Thompson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Keira Knightley and Saoirse Ronan. The letter is a message to women and calls for an international movement to end the sexual abuse problem exposed by the scandal of Hollywood “boss” Harvey Weinstein.
The fundraising page for the new fund has named actress Watson as the lead donor, while Keira Knightley and British actor Tom Hiddleston have each donated £10,000 ($14,000). The money will be used to set up a network of counselling, support and advocacy projects to tackle abuse across all sectors.
The letter stresses that the movement to denounce sexual abuse in Hollywood is now global, not just focused on the entertainment industry. It also addresses the gender pay gap and changes in the workplace that make it unsafe.
The letter, published in The Observer, is similar to one signed by Hollywood stars last month. The move comes after a legal aid fund set up by A-list stars in the US to help both women and men who have been abused in the workplace. Around 160 activists and academics have signed a letter pledging support for the new fund, which is managed by the Rosa Foundation. The letter was released ahead of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTA) on 18 February, where stars will reiterate their condemnation of sexual abuse last month at the Golden Globes in the US and wear black to show solidarity with victims.