Anita Hill-led Hollywood Commission wants to change how workers report sexual harassment
In the wake of movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape trial, a survey of nearly 10,000 workers by the Anita Hill-led Hollywood Commission revealed a sobering result: Few people believed perpetrators would ever be held accountable.
The vast majority, however, were interested in new tools to document incidents and access resources and helplines.
Four years later, the Hollywood Commission is trying to make that request a reality.
On Thursday, the nonprofit organization launched MyConnext, an online resource and reporting tool that will allow workers at five major entertainment business organizations to get help with reporting incidents of harassment, discrimination and abuse.
The website allows those entertainment industry employees to speak with a live ombudsperson, create time-stamped records and submit those reports to their employer or union. (Any entertainment worker can access the site's resources section to learn more about what it means to report an incident and understand complicating factors such as mandatory arbitration.)
Read more:Recording Academy faces claims of past use of NDAs to silence women about sexual abuse allegations
So far, the commission has partnered with the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America, certain U.S.-based Amazon productions, all U.S.-based Netflix productions and film/TV producer the Kennedy/Marshall Co., founded by filmmakers Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall. The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees is expected to join later this year, according to the commission.
MyConnext is not intended to replace any of these organizations' individual reporting platforms. Rather, it's designed to provide an additional option and serve as a one-stop shop for workers seeking help or resources. The commission did not say what the initiative cost.
One key feature of the MyConnext reporting platform is called "hold for match," which allows a worker to fill out a record of an incident and instructs the system not to send the report to one of the partner organizations until another report about the same person is detected. At that time, both reports will be sent.
"It is very difficult for an individual to come forward," said Hill, president of the Hollywood Commission, which was founded in October 2017 to help eradicate abuse in the entertainment industry. "Let's say, for example, Harvey Weinstein: It was very difficult to prove a case when there was only one person because there was a tendency to turn it into a so-called 'he-said, she-said' situation."
With this feature, however, employers could potentially recognize a pattern of abuse. And that, Hill said, could be a game changer.
"We ultimately hope that [the tool] will elevate the level of accountability, and accountability is ultimately what I think everybody wants," said Hill. The commission led the 2020 survey, along with a follow-up survey this year that found a similar desire for harassment reporting resources.
"Information, really, is power," said Hill.
Advocates say such resources have become even more crucial amid what they describe as a pullback in Hollywood's promised efforts to create a more inclusive industry for women. Fears of backsliding escalated after Weinstein's New York sex assault conviction was overturned last month by a state appeals court, which ordered a new trial. Weinstein's conviction in California remains.
"What's so important even now, in light of the reversal of a conviction, is making sure that individuals who have suffered harm get to choose what makes the most sense for them," said Malia Arrington, executive director of the Hollywood Commission. "You need to be informed about what all of your different choices may mean to make sure that you're entering into whatever path with eyes wide open."
With that in mind, the platform has a multipronged approach. The resources section helps workers understand their options, including the general process for filing a complaint, as well as where to access counseling and emotional or employment support.
Members of the participating organizations also have access to a secure platform through MyConnext that lets them record an incident — regardless of whether they submit it as an official report — send anonymous messages, speak with an independent ombudsperson and submit reports of abuse.
Speaking with an advocate allows workers to get their questions answered confidentially and by a live human, said Lillian Rivera, the ombudsperson who is employed by MyConnext.
"It's a human that's going to listen to folks, who's going to be nonjudgmental, who is going to be supportive and is going to be able to point people toward all of their options, and really put the power in the hands of the worker so they can make the decision that's best for them," Rivera said.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
