Women leaders fighting sexual harassment in a new movement, TIME'S UP, have raised more than $13 million from over 200 donors for a legal defense fund, to help to defray costs for lawyers and communications professionals who provide assistance to those who experience sexual harassment.

“We are a community of women and men who can no longer stand idly by,” says Tina Tchen, an attorney and co-founder of the fund. “This is the first of many concrete actions we will take. And we are thrilled to partner with Fatima Goss Graves and the National Women's Law Center to assure the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund's success.”

The legal defense fund will help individuals who experience sexual misconduct find legal representation, and will be housed at and administered by the National Women's Law Center. Participating attorneys will work with the Center's Legal Network for Gender Equity to enable more individuals to come forward and secure legal assistance.

TIME'S UP was formed as a central hub supporting a wide range of initiatives aimed at promoting equality and safety in the workplace. In addition to the legal defense fund, other initiatives cover legislation, corporate policy, hiring practices and aggregating important resources.

In one of its first initiatives, entertainment industry executives, independent experts and advisors last month came together to create the Commission on Sexual Harassment and Advancing Equality in the Workplace. Chaired by Anita Hill, the Commission will lead the entertainment industry toward alignment in achieving safer, fairer, more equitable and accountable workplaces—particularly for women and marginalized people.

In addition to the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund and the Commission, TIME'S UP is also working closely with 5050by2020, believing a shift in power and leadership is imperative to make change. The group is advocating for a 50/50 model where women are equally represented at every level—especially in leadership positions and positions of power. 5050by2020 has already received commitments for gender parity by 2020 from leaders in the industry including Creative Artist Agency and ICM Partners.

According to HRDive, a common complaint among employees with sexual harassment claims is that their HR department was unresponsive to their complaints.

“A thorough internal investigation of a claim, including any possible witnesses, should help employers decide whether discipline, termination or no action at all is necessary,” HRDive writes.

While the prevailing notion is that an executive or manager is the one sexually harassing a younger, less powerful employee, HRDive cites a recent Fairygodboss poll showing that 57 percent of alleged harassers are colleagues and 70 percent are under 40.

“An audit can be a preventive measure HR managers can take to gauge and monitor sexual misconduct in their organizations,” HRDive writes. “Workplaces can expect some misconduct to occur, but being proactive about uncovering it and following up with adverse action against perpetrators might curb its pervasiveness.”

Employers also might consider eliminating arbitration agreements and nondisclosure agreements in cases of sexual harassment allegations. “Companies have been criticized for using these agreements to cover up sexual misconduct by high-level executives, protect their alleged deeds from the public and pay off accusers for their silence,” HRDive writes. “Bipartisan bills in Congress seek to ban the practice entirely.”

Instant Insights /

More than $13M raised for sexual harassment legal defense fund

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