Will new anti-sexual harassment guidelines help Hollywood? - Film Daily

New anti-sexual harassment guidelines aim to move Hollywood and the wider UK creative sector from initial principles toward enforceable, layered duties involving law, standards bodies, and guild training. The article cites the UK’s shift since 2018, when shared guidance was introduced and used in resources by bodies including the BFI, BAFTA, and Film & TV Charity, but later expanded by statute. Under the Worker Protection Act 2023, employers must take reasonable steps to prevent sexual harassment starting in October 2024; this tightens in October 2026 to require all reasonable steps and adds liability for third-party harassment. From April 2026, disclosures count as protected whistleblowing, with Acas and the Equality and Human Rights Commission providing templates and an eight-step prevention framework. A dedicated cross-industry authority, CIISA, launched at the end of 2024, with early backers including the BBC, Sky, and Warner Bros. Discovery, and a reporting infrastructure. In the US, training programs have evolved via SAG-AFTRA and the Hollywood Commission partnership, though reporting barriers persist.