British actresses sign anti-sexual harassment letter ahead of BAFTAs

Almost 200 British and Irish actresses have signed a letter calling for action against sexual harassment at work and for equal pay ahead of Sunday's BAFTA awards in London.

Emma Watson, Carey Mulligan, Emma Thompson and Saoirse Ronan were among the 190 signatories of the letter, which was addressed "Dear Sisters" and published in the Observer weekly newspaper.

The signatories said they were inspired by the Time's Up movement in the United States, a legal defence fund for victims of abuse set up by women in Hollywood after last years' revelations of widespread sexual abuse in the entertainment industry.

They called for donations to a new UK Justice and Equality Fund to be managed by the women's charity Rosa.

"If you have said 'time's up', if the stories you have read in the papers have resonated and distressed you, join us in shifting the dial. Let's make 2018 the year that time was up on sexual harassment and abuse," the letter read.

Watson has already donated 1 million pounds (1.4 million US dollars) to the fund, according to the Observer.

Their missive was accompanied by a second letter signed by 160 activists and academics welcoming "the call from our entertainment industry sisters to unite to call TIME on harassment and abuse."

Echoing last month's Golden Globes, actresses are also set to wear black at the BAFTA awards, and many will be accompanied by feminist activists rather than their partners.