Sexual harassment in the modeling industry is unlawful in Australia, the UK and the US, and being freelance does not automatically put you outside the law. Australia's Fair Work Commission treats contractors as workers who can bring a sexual harassment dispute, Acas says the UK's Equality Act protects self-employed people hired to do the work personally, and New York and California protect contractors even though the EEOC says federal anti-discrimination laws do not cover independent contractors. On set, the practical protections are boundaries agreed in advance, a representative or chaperone if you want one, and a dated record of anything that goes wrong.
This is general information, not legal advice. If you have been assaulted or are in danger, contact police first; the reporting table below lists emergency numbers for each country.
What counts as sexual harassment on a shoot
Acas, the UK's workplace advisory service, describes sexual harassment as unwanted behavior of a sexual nature that violates someone's dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, whether or not that effect was intended. Its examples include remarks about someone's body or clothing, questions about their sex life, sharing sexual images, including AI-generated ones, and touching someone against their will. The EEOC's harassment guidance for US employers frames it around unwelcome conduct based on sex and other protected traits, and notes that the harasser can be a supervisor, a co-worker or a non-employee.
Modeling complicates this because bodies are part of the brief. A stylist pinning a garment, a client saying a sample does not fit, or a photographer asking you to shift your weight is ordinary work. The line is crossed by sexual comments, requests or jokes, touching that was not explained and agreed, pressure to change in front of people who have no reason to be there, and wardrobe or exposure changes that appear on the day instead of in the brief you accepted.
On-set boundaries checklist
Most of these are settled before you arrive. Put them in writing with your booker or the client, and bring the confirmation with you.
- Wardrobe and exposure limits agreed in writing before the booking is confirmed, with nothing new added on the day.
- A call sheet naming who will be on set, so you know who should and should not be in the room.
- A private place to change. The LVMH and Kering charter on fashion models commits those groups' brands to a dedicated private space where models can change out of sight of anyone who is not part of the production.
- Never alone while partly dressed: the same charter says that where nudity or semi-nudity is involved, the model is never left alone with a person linked to the production or with a photographer.
- A representative or chaperone if you want one. Under New York's Fashion Workers Act, clients must allow models to bring an agent, manager, chaperone or other representative to any engagement, according to the Department of Labor's page on duties of model management companies and clients.
- Written harassment policies. New York requires both model management companies and clients to have a policy on abuse and harassment and to share it with models in writing, so ask to see it.
- Touch with notice: hair, makeup and wardrobe staff say what they need to adjust before they do it.
- No phones or cameras in the changing area, and no behind-the-scenes filming you did not agree to.
- Any body scan or digital replica handled under a separate written agreement; our likeness license checklist covers what that agreement should say.
- A way home that does not depend on the client, and a friend who knows your call and wrap times.
If something on the day breaks an agreed boundary, you can stop. Say what the problem is, step out and call your booker. A professional production would rather pause than have a model keep working under pressure.
Incident log template
Write things down as soon as you can, in your own words, and keep a copy somewhere only you control, such as a personal email account. A record made close to the time helps whichever route you choose later, including if you decide not to report at all.
| Field | What to record |
|---|---|
| Date, time and place | The booking, the address and the time each thing happened, in order |
| People present | Names or roles of everyone in the room or nearby, including crew and client staff |
| What happened | The exact words and actions as closely as you can recall them |
| Your response | What you said or did, and whether you asked for the behavior to stop |
| Witnesses | Anyone who saw or heard it, and anyone you told straight afterward |
| Evidence | Messages, emails, the call sheet and booking confirmation; check local law before recording anyone |
| Who you told | Your booker, agency, client contact or producer, with dates and their replies |
| Effects | Lost or canceled bookings, time off work, medical or counseling visits, and costs |
| Reports made | Agency, police, commission or tribunal, with dates and any reference numbers |
Reporting routes in Australia, the UK and the US
Where to go depends on where the work happened, whether the conduct was criminal, and how you were engaged. Many routes have time limits, so note dates early. For physical or sexual assault, stalking or threats, contact police first.
| Where | Route | What to know |
|---|---|---|
| Australia | Police: 000 in an emergency, 131 444 otherwise | The Fair Work Commission's complaint options tool sends assault, indecent exposure, stalking and threatening communications to police |
| Australia | Australian Human Rights Commission complaint | The Fair Work Commission's complaint options tool says you generally have 2 years to complain to the Commission, which conciliates complaints and also accepts anonymous positive duty reports |
| Australia | Fair Work Commission sexual harassment dispute | Its eligibility page counts contractors and subcontractors as workers, says applications are usually made within 2 years, and requires a continuing connection to the workplace for a stop order |
| United Kingdom | Police: 999 in an emergency, 101 otherwise | As listed on gov.uk's contact the police page |
| United Kingdom | Acas helpline, then early conciliation | Acas says the Equality Act protects contractors and self-employed people hired to personally do the work, as well as employees and workers |
| United States | EEOC charge of discrimination | The EEOC's harassment page says Title VII covers employers with 15 or more employees and that a charge is due within 180 days, which state law may extend; its coverage page says independent contractors are not covered |
| New York | State Division of Human Rights | Its guide to workplace protections covers contractors and others providing services in the workplace, with three years to file sexual harassment claims in employment |
| California | Civil Rights Department | Its employment page says the state's FEHA bars harassment of contractors, unpaid interns and volunteers, in workplaces of any size |
| United States | Police: 911 in an emergency | For confidential support at any stage, RAINN's National Sexual Assault Hotline is 800-656-HOPE |
If you are not sure which Australian body fits, the Commission's National Information Service on 1300 656 419, listed on its complaints page, can point you to the right one. The Fair Work Commission tool also notes that applications to it cannot be made anonymously, while a positive duty report to the Commission can be.
Who is responsible for a safe set
Responsibility is shared, which gives you several people to ask. In Australia, the Sex Discrimination Act's positive duty requires organizations and businesses to take reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate sexual harassment connected with work, and the Australian Human Rights Commission's guide to the positive duty says that includes sole traders and the self-employed, so a photographer running a one-person business carries it too. According to Respect@Work, the duty began in December 2022 and the Commission's compliance powers followed in December 2023.
In the UK, Acas notes that employers must already take steps to prevent sexual harassment, and that from October 30, 2026 the law changes so employers will be liable unless they have taken all reasonable steps to prevent it. Acas also says that from April 6, 2026 sexual harassment counts as a qualifying disclosure under whistleblowing law.
In New York, the Fashion Workers Act requires model management companies to use due diligence so that work they secure does not put models at unreasonable risk of danger. It also bars clients from offering engagements with an unreasonable risk of danger and requires them to carry liability insurance covering models' health and safety. Ask your agency what it checks before sending you to a new client, and ask clients for their harassment policy before the shoot rather than after a problem.
Raising it with your agency or booker
Tell your booker in writing what happened and what you want: to stop working with that client, for the agency to take it up with the client, or simply for it to be on record. Keep their reply with your log. You do not need to make a formal complaint to turn down future bookings with the same people.
Retaliation is itself a problem the law addresses. The EEOC says anti-discrimination laws also prohibit harassment in retaliation for filing a charge, taking part in an investigation or opposing practices you reasonably believe are discriminatory. Australia's positive duty covers related acts of victimization, and the UK's whistleblowing protection now extends to sexual harassment disclosures. If an agency drops you or stops sending castings after you raise a concern, add that to your log with dates. For ways to vet agencies and clients before you work with them, see how to find modeling jobs and vet each channel, and for safety at the audition stage, our casting call tips for models.
Support after an incident
You do not have to decide about reporting before you get support. In Australia, 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732 is free and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for people affected by sexual, domestic or family violence. In the US, RAINN's hotline offers confidential support by phone and by text. In the UK, the Acas helpline gives free advice on your rights at work, and police can be reached on the numbers above. If the incident affects whether you can keep working with your agency, the deal memo and payment records described in our guide to how model pay works help you show what you are owed for work already done.
Limitations of this guide
This is general information for adult models, not legal advice. Laws, time limits and the question of who counts as a worker differ between countries and states and change over time, as the UK's October 2026 changes show, and the protections that apply to you depend on how you were engaged and where the work happened. Brand charters bind only the companies that adopt them. If you have been assaulted or are in danger, contact police. For everything else, an employment lawyer, a union or the bodies listed above can tell you which route fits your situation.