British actor and activist Emma Watson has helped support the launch of a free legal advice service for women facing sexual harassment at work in England and Wales. The service, introduced by the charity Rights of Women, was designed to help women understand their legal rights and the steps they could take against workplace harassment. Seven years later, the advice line continues to operate, offering specialist legal guidance to women dealing with such situations. The service was launched in 2019, with funding from the TIME’S UP UK Justice and Equality Fund. Watson was among those whose donations helped establish the fund, which was managed by Rosa, the UK Fund for Women and Girls. The initiative followed the global 'MeToo' movement, during which millions of women shared their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse. According to Rights of Women, the helpline is the only free specialist legal advice line of its kind for women experiencing sexual harassment at work in England and Wales. The charity also cited research by the Trades Union Congress (TUC), which found that as many as one in two women had experienced sexual harassment in the workplace. The aim was to make legal advice more accessible to women who might otherwise struggle to understand their options or take action against harassment.
How Emma Watson became involved
Watson supported the initiative through the TIME’S UP UK Justice and Equality Fund, which was established with donations from the public and supporters, including the actor. The money helped Rights of Women establish a dedicated telephone service staffed by its legal team and volunteer women employment lawyers. The advisers were tasked with explaining workplace harassment laws and helping callers understand the legal action available to them. Speaking at the launch in 2019, Watson welcomed the initiative but expressed concern that such a service had not been available earlier. “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,” she said. Watson also stressed that understanding legal rights was an important part of addressing workplace harassment. “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,” she said.
Need for legal advice
When the service was introduced, Rights of Women said many women experiencing workplace harassment were reluctant to complain because they feared the consequences for their careers. Deeba Syed, then Senior Legal Officer at Rights of Women, said harassment had often been treated as something women were expected to tolerate at work. She also pointed to the shortage of specialist legal support for those who wanted to challenge such behaviour. According to the charity, women reporting harassment could face negative responses, have their complaints undermined or experience victimisation. The advice line was intended to help them understand the law before deciding what action to take. It also formed part of the organisation's wider efforts to address the barriers that made it difficult for women to report harassment and hold employers accountable.
Workplace harassment law changed in 2024
Since the advice line was launched, workplace harassment protections in the UK have also changed. Rights of Women says it successfully campaigned for changes introduced through the Worker Protection Act 2024. From October 26, 2024, employers became legally required to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees. According to the charity, failure to meet this duty may result in an additional compensation award of up to 25% for employees who have experienced sexual harassment, where the relevant legal conditions are met. Rights of Women also encourages women to report workplace sexual harassment to the EHRC, which has regulatory powers to act against employers and may support litigation. Women in England and Wales can contact the Sexual Harassment at Work Advice Line on 020 7490 0152. According to the charity's website, the service operates on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 6pm to 8pm, and on Thursdays and Fridays from 10am to 12pm, UK time.
