A celebrity-backed Gofundme campaign set up in response to the #MeToo movement has donated more than £1m to help victims of sexual harassment and abuse.
The Justice and Equality Fund – supported by Emma Watson, Keira Knightley, Emma Thompson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Jodie Whittaker – has awarded £1,027,699 to seven women’s groups across the UK.
The organisations are working to provide advice and support to women who have experienced sexual harassment. Donations include £194,168 to Rights of Women, to fund a free, confidential helpline led by female lawyers offering specialist legal advice to women experiencing sexual harassment.
Welsh Women’s Aid was awarded £88,484 to provide training that will increase the knowledge and skill of women’s support services across Wales; and £133,402 was given to London Black Women’s Project, which will focus on providing specialist advice to black and minority ethnic and migrant women.
Grants also include £200,000 to Women’s Aid Federation in Northern Ireland to pilot a new rape crisis service. Funding cuts in Northern Ireland have meant that there has been no rape crisis service in the province for the last 12 years.
Watson, who made a £1m donation to the fund this year, said the grants were “pivotal in supporting the dynamic work of vital UK women’s organisations”.
The actor thanked those who had already donated to the page, but appealed for more help. “Financial support is an instrumental act of solidarity with under-resourced organisations and campaign groups.”
Knightley said she was “so excited” to see the results of campaign. “To be able to fund the first rape crisis service provision in Northern Ireland for 12 years feels like a huge step forward,” she said.
The fund is being managed by Rosa, the UK Fund for Women and Girls.
Its executive director, Samantha Rennie, said: “For far too long, women facing sexual harassment and abuse have faced a postcode lottery. Specialist support services are patchy and stretched, leaving many women with nowhere to turn for help. These grants will help ensure that no one is left unsupported when they have been harassed.
“We’re delighted that so many individuals and Time’s Up have reached out in solidarity to make this happen. But we need to do more to get these services on a stable footing, and to tackle the culture that means abusers can act with impunity.”
The #MeToo movement began with a tweet in October 2017 by the actor Alyssa Milano, one of Harvey Weinstein’s most vocal critics, after dozens of women accused the Hollywood producer of sexual assault and harassment.
