Story summary
British actor and activist Emma Watson has supported the launch of a free legal advice service for women facing sexual harassment at work in England and Wales. The initiative, introduced by the charity Rights of Women, began with funding from the TIME’S UP UK Justice and Equality Fund in 2019. The helpline aims to provide specialist legal guidance to women dealing with workplace harassment, highlighting a gap in existing services.
Emma Watson expressed concern at the service's launch that such an initiative had not been available earlier, given that research by the Trades Union Congress (TUC) found as many as one in two women experience sexual harassment at work. Rights of Women emphasizes this helpline is currently the only free specialist legal advice line for workplace sexual harassment in England and Wales.
The establishment of the service follows the global 'MeToo' movement, during which millions shared their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse, sparking a demand for better support systems.
Written for “Sexual Harassment Legal Advice Line” on 2026-10-12,
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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.
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Watson → help → England
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.
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they → introduce → harassment
Seven years later, the advice line continues to operate, offering specialist legal guidance to women dealing with such situations.
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line → continue → situations
The service was launched in 2019, with funding from the TIME’S UP UK Justice and Equality Fund.
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service → launch → Fund
Watson was among those whose donations helped establish the fund, which was managed by Rosa, the UK Fund for Women and Girls.
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which → establish → Women
The initiative followed the global 'MeToo' movement, during which millions of women shared their experiences of sexual harassment and abuse.
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millions → follow → harassment
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.
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helpline → accord → England
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.
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women → cite → 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.
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who → make → harassment
How Emma Watson became involved
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Watson → become → ?
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.
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which → support → actor
The money helped Rights of Women establish a dedicated telephone service staffed by its legal team and volunteer women employment lawyers.
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Rights → help → team
The advisers were tasked with explaining workplace harassment laws and helping callers understand the legal action available to them.
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callers → task → 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.
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she → speak → workplace
Watson also stressed that understanding legal rights was an important part of addressing workplace harassment.
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understanding → stress → 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.
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she → understand → everyone
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.
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they → introduce → 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.
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women → say → work
She also pointed to the shortage of specialist legal support for those who wanted to challenge such behaviour.
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who → point → behaviour
According to the charity, women reporting harassment could face negative responses, have their complaints undermined or experience victimisation.
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complaints → accord → victimisation
The advice line was intended to help them understand the law before deciding what action to take.
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them → intend → action
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.
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employers → form → harassment
Workplace harassment law changed in 2024
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law → change → 2024
Since the advice line was launched, workplace harassment protections in the UK have also changed.
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protections → launch → UK
Rights of Women says it successfully campaigned for changes introduced through the Worker Protection Act 2024.
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it → say → Act
From October 26, 2024, employers became legally required to take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment of their employees.
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employers → require → 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.
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conditions → accord → harassment
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.
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which → encourage → litigation
Women in England and Wales can contact the Sexual Harassment at Work Advice Line on 020 7490 0152.
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Women → contact → 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.
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service → accord → pm
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