Hollywood Just Took a Big Step Forward in the Fight Against Sexual Harassment

The Screen Actors Guild just took a major step to help protect its members against sexual harassment.

Back in January, the SAG-AFTRA—which stands for Screen Actors Guild‐American Federation of Television and Radio Artists—announced it was developing a new Code of Conduct that would specifically address sexual harassment. As you might have guessed, this initiative was spurred by the disturbing number of sexual misconduct allegations that have come out of Hollywood in the past few months.

The group's initiative was announced by actresses Brie Larson and Lupita Nyong'o at the 2018 SAG Awards and will included members of the Time's Up movement.

“We are working with our members, including several who are active in the Time's Up campaign, to develop a Code of Conduct that provides clear safety guidance to performers in the work environment and in the social environments attached to work like auditions, wrap parties, festivals, etc., where harassment frequently occurs,” Gabrielle Carteris, president of SAG-AFTRA, said in a statement to InStyle.

True to their word, SAG-AFTRA released this new Code of Conduct on Sexual Harassment this weekend, and the document is packed with essential information and guidelines that will hopefully make the entertainment industry a safer place to work.

Included in the five-page document are definitions of various types of sexual harassment, legal responsibilities of employers, expectations of SAG members, guidelines for reporting sexual harassment, helpful resources, and more.

“To truly change the culture we must be courageous and willing. At its most basic, this Code will ultimately help better define what harassment is, and what members’ rights are in real world situations,” said Carteris, according to Deadline. “We are going further, however, with the launch of our Four Pillars of Change initiative to achieve safe workplaces and advance equity.”

“This initiative provides a critical framework for our collective efforts to further strengthen protections for SAG-AFTRA members who experience harassment in the workplace,” said SAG-AFTRA National Executive Director David White, according to the source. “Our comprehensive approach ensures that we stay focused on providing members with clear information, making training available that is relevant and practical, and working with industry partners to expand our tools to intervene and support victims of workplace harassment and assault. We are very excited to engage in this effort.”

SAG-AFTRA also noted that they will be releasing additional documents with practical guidance on handling sexual misconduct in both work and non-work settings.