Women in Film, and a New App Called “Agent,” Create Resources for Sexual Harassment Victims

As we deal with the daily announcements of accusations of sexual harassment, sexual misconduct, and rape, it becomes clear that one of the biggest reasons women keep silent is because they do not have a safe place to speak out. Human resources are not always good at forwarding accusations higher up, and sometimes even then, people will work in-house to keep things quiet. As a result, Women in Film, and model Alison Pelletier, have both created ways to help the women in their industries have a voice.

Women in Film is launching a sexual harassment hotline for men and women who have been the victims, which will go live Dec. 1st according to The Hollywood Reporter. In addition to being a place to report these incidents, the hotline will also provide help for victims by forwarding them “to follow-up resources, including mental health counseling and law enforcement and legal services,” which is important because coming forward is just one part. Self-care and learning to move forward are equally necessary in order to help attempt to return to “normal” or figure out what a new normal feels like.

In a statement the WIF president said:

“I’m sad that we are in a place where the formation of a crisis and relief center for victims of sexual harassment and sex crimes is necessary, but I have no doubt that Women in Film’s deep familiarity with the business and behavior of our community, position as an independent and not-for-profit entity, institutional knowledge of discrimination and the social science surrounding change models, as well as our deep devotion to our members and friends will enable the helpline and legal aid panel to move the national conversation about workplace harassment in a positive and curative direction. We also welcome all companies and organizations devoted to ending these practices to contribute their thoughts and expertise to our efforts, as we are all in this together.”

Thankfully, other companies are also answering the call. Alison Pelletier, a model, has teamed with Mark Willingham to create an app called Agent. The app was created to add a layer of transparency between models and the companies they work for. Much like Uber, it allows rating to go both ways so that if a company does show any shady behavior there are multiple resources for reporting bad behavior. According to information in the press release for the app Agent, offers the following features:

• Agent is the only booking app that completes criminal background and sex offender checks on users to ensure safety.
• 24 hour full support for any issues that may arise for models on shoots
  Streamlines the model searching, booking and scheduling process
• Secure and immediate payment. Get paid on time.
• Ratings and reviews on models and companies promote a transparent and safe platform much like Uber.

Apps and hotlines like these will allow many young women who are in this industry to be less afraid of speaking up about harassment, racism and any other mistreatment they might face on their day to day jobs.

While it is deeply unfortunate that these are the steps that need to be taken, at least people are getting mad and doing something about it.

(via The Hollywood Reporter, image: Vacclav / Shutterstock.com)

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