Time’s Up: Hundreds of Hollywood women team up to take on harassment

Time's Up: Hundreds of Hollywood women team up to take on harassmentThis combination of file photos show actresses Reese Witherspoon at the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, left, Jennifer Aniston at a screening of “Office Christmas Party” in New York and Shonda Rhimes at the 2015 Human Rights Campaign Gala Dinner in Los Angeles. Witherspoon, Rhimes and Aniston are among hundreds of Hollywood women who have formed an anti-harassment coalition called Time’s Up. (AP Photo/File)

Powerful women in entertainment are standing together in the fight against sexual harassment. A new initiative kicked off the New Year, with a mission of ridding every industry of sexual mistreatment, while also fighting for gender parity.

CGTN’s May Lee has the details from Hollywood.

A new initiative, started in Hollywood, is set to combat sexual harassment across every industry.

More than 1,000 women in entertainment are behind “Time’s Up,” a movement that officially launched New Year’s Day. In that group are some of the biggest names in entertainment, including Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes, Oprah Winfrey and Meryl Streep.

“We want all survivors of sexual harassment, everywhere, to be heard, to be believed, and to know that accountability is possible,” Time’s Up said in an open letter released on Monday. “We also want all victims and survivors to be able to access justice and support for the wrongdoing they have endured.”

The group is already turning words into action, having created a legal defense fund to help victims of harassment and unfair treatment. Especially those in lower wage industries who wouldn’t be able to afford legal counsel otherwise.

Time’s Up is already closing in on its goal of raising $15 million through GoFundMe.

The anti-sexual harassment wave was kick-started in October, when multiple women accused mega producer Harvey Weinstein of harassment and assault. The allegations span more than 3 decades.

Since then, several powerful men in entertainment, media, politics and businesses have been taken down by accusations of sexual misconduct.

The Time’s Up movement is evidence that this issue isn’t going away anytime soon, and with the upcoming awards season, the issue will get even more attention. Currently, a call to action is urging everyone to wear black on the red carpet, including at the upcoming Golden Globes this Sunday.