March 2021 - present : Entertainment Industry Abuse
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December 2023 update:
The Bullying & Harassment Module is now live
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#MeToo was really just words here in the UK and nothing of much note changed. Women (mostly) were/are still being abused, bullied and sexually harassed and assaulted at work and the fear of losing their job still prevents them from reporting to the production companies and/or upper management. On many productions, there is no upper management or person to take overall accountability. We NEED an independent regulatory body.
On 13th March 2021, I put out a (since updated) tweet in desperation at the levels of abuse I knew about in the entertainment industry and wanted to do something. Anything. I needed to gather information to highlight how endemic the problem really is in the UK and get it highlighted to try and make some systemic changes.
I didn't expect the sheer volume of emails and private messages that have been (and continue to be) sent to me.
There are hundreds of emails still to process, record and respond to.
22 investigative journalists have been in touch with me and I'm linking up and connecting with other brilliant people who also want to make huge changes.
I have had to take time out from dealing with the emails to set myself up with some therapy due to the sheer volume of sexual abuse and rape I now know about and can't do anything about in the immediate term. Some of the things I'm reading are utterly appalling. If you would like to donate to this ongoing list and data collation that is unpaid and emotionally labour intensive, I have set up a Ko-fi account and appreciate any and all donations.
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From 2021 - 2023, I was attending working group meetings at the Government's Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS) Roundtable tasked with creating an Independent Standards Authority - #CIISA (Creative Industry Independent Standards Authority) along with bullying & and harassment training modules.
The CIISA is now well on the way: ciisa.org.uk
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February 6th 2023
I recorded a podcast with the lovely folks at The98%Pod in December 2022.
It was released today!
"Helen has been fighting against misconduct towards, and abuse of, actors since she was a child. As a youngster it lead to disdain and even arrest! As an adult it’s lead to blacklisting, sacrifices and incredible pushback. Hear her story now"
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All episodes in this mini-series special:
S5E2 - From Learning To Earning, A Story Of Mistreatment In The Acting Industry - GUEST: MANY VICTIMS
S5E3 - From Learning To Earning, A Story Of Mistreatment In The Acting Industry - GUEST: HELEN RAW
A reminder of the work...
Behaviours and incidents recorded so far
May 31st 2021
The New York Post covered this. They quoted me as having talked to The Sun - I didn't, I spoke to the Telegraph! Link is here.
April 29th 2021
Sirin Kale and Lucy Osborne wrote an exceptionally detailed and well-researched piece in the Guardian about Noel Clarke and the accusations against him. This piece, I believe has led to more people coming forward with their stories. The link is here.
April 9th 2021
The fabulous Rebecca Ferguson was interviewed by Nicola Thorp for The Metro about bad practice and abuse in the music industry. Rebecca and I have had a Zoom meeting and plan to work together where possible to make things better for the entertainment industry and bring in accountability. The link is here.
