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Silenced Women: Why The Law Fails Women and How to Fight Back
LONGLISTED FOR THE CWA's ALCS Gold Dagger for Non-Fiction Award
WITH A BRAND-NEW AFTERWORD FOR 2024 COVERING RUSSELL BRAND, LUIS RUBIALES AND OTHER CASE STUDIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
'A stunning book; as vital as it is compelling... a must-read for women and allies alike' -Harriet Johnson, author of The Violence Against Women and How to End It
'Crucial reading for any person wanting to fight gendered abuse' -Jess Phillips
'If you read anything this year, make sure it's this' -Daisy May Cooper
In 2017, allegations against Harvey Weinstein prompted a worldwide sharing of sexual harassment and abuse stories on social media. Just as #MeToo began to empower survivors to speak out about their abuse, perpetrators and their lawyers got to work trying to silence them.
In Silenced Women, leading human rights barristers Jennifer Robinson and Dr Keina Yoshida expose the ways that the establishment has mobilised against change and sought to reinforce a system that keeps women voiceless. From the difference between the Amber Heard cases in the UK and the US, to the story of how Zelda Perkins became the first person to break her NDA against Weinstein, they draw on their own and others' cases to explain how the law is being used to curtail women's free speech - and what we can do to fight back.
WITH A BRAND-NEW AFTERWORD FOR 2024 COVERING RUSSELL BRAND, LUIS RUBIALES AND OTHER CASE STUDIES FROM AROUND THE WORLD
'A stunning book; as vital as it is compelling... a must-read for women and allies alike' -Harriet Johnson, author of The Violence Against Women and How to End It
'Crucial reading for any person wanting to fight gendered abuse' -Jess Phillips
'If you read anything this year, make sure it's this' -Daisy May Cooper
In 2017, allegations against Harvey Weinstein prompted a worldwide sharing of sexual harassment and abuse stories on social media. Just as #MeToo began to empower survivors to speak out about their abuse, perpetrators and their lawyers got to work trying to silence them.
In Silenced Women, leading human rights barristers Jennifer Robinson and Dr Keina Yoshida expose the ways that the establishment has mobilised against change and sought to reinforce a system that keeps women voiceless. From the difference between the Amber Heard cases in the UK and the US, to the story of how Zelda Perkins became the first person to break her NDA against Weinstein, they draw on their own and others' cases to explain how the law is being used to curtail women's free speech - and what we can do to fight back.
- GenresFeminismNonfictionLaw
432 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2024
17 people are currently reading
515 people want to read
About the author
Jennifer Robinson
51 books11 followersJennifer Robinson is an award-winning Australian barrister at Doughty Street Chambers in London, specialising in human rights, media law, public law and international law. She has appeared in international, regional and domestic courts in key cases involving freedom of speech, human rights and climate change — and is renowned for successfully taking on powerful interests to tackle injustice. Her clients include journalists, media organisations, high-profile individuals, human rights defenders, governments and non-governmental organisations. The common thread of her career has been helping those who have the courage to stand up and speak out for what is right. Robinson supported Amber Heard personally throughout the Depp v. The Sun trial.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
November 30, 2022
I've read the exerts of this books and what she mentions about defending Amber Heard in the UK trial about Johnny Depp preventing his ex wife from speaking to the papers solicitors was a lie. Don't believe me then search up the statement from the Judge who presided over the trial, yourselves and see who is lying. I thought this was supposed to be a factual book but so far its actually fictional. About 1% of the reviews have read any part of this book. The other 99% are delusional Amber Heard fans who think she is telling the truth. This book actually hurts real victims of violence and abuse. The only good this book does is using the pages for wick to light a stove or fireplace and only if you were given it for free. I hate saying it because I love books and have passed that love for books to the next-generation. The publishers need their heads read for publishing this rubbish they call a book.
August 7, 2023
“Cages. Consider a birdcage. If you look very closely at just one wire in the cage, you cannot see the other wires. If your conception of what is before you is determined by this myopic focus, you could look at that one wire, up and down the length of it, and unable to see why a bird would not just fly around the wire any time it wanted to go somewhere. Furthermore, even if, one day at a time, you myopically inspected each wire, you still could not see why a bird would have trouble going past the wires to get anywhere. There is no physical property of any one wire, nothing that the closest scrutiny could discover, that will reveal how a bird could be inhibited or harmed by it except in the most accidental way. It is only when you step back, stop looking at the wires one by one, microscopically, and take a macroscopic view of the whole cage, that you can see why the bird does not go anywhere; and then you will see it in a moment. It will require no great subtlety of mental powers. It is perfectly obvious that the bird is surrounded by a network of systematically related barriers, no one of which would be the least hindrance to its flight, but which, by their relations to each other, are as confining as the solid walls of a dungeon.”
These words of Marilyn Frye from her book The Politics of Reality instantly came to mind and lingered as I read How Many More Women by Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida. At large, the book serves as a clear demonstration of how easily individuals can overlook systemic issues when they encounter them within a single case, and highlights the alarming tendency for people to repeatedly fall for the same overused, unoriginal textbook manipulative tactics when they continue to form their opinions solely based on circumstantial facts, spontaneous acquisition of knowledge, and unquestioned internalised biases; an approach that isolates the case from its critical systemic context, which also plays a pivotal role in perpetuating these patterns. That, along with the absence of essential knowledge base about the relevant social, legal and medical factors at play, especially when it comes to topics around which society is knee-deep in myths and misconceptions, like Coercive Control, Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault—the core subject matters of the authors’ work—prevent individuals from grasping the full magnitude of the issue or developing the right perspective needed to recognise these cases as part of a broader pattern, leaving their perception vulnerable to being manipulated, and themselves to being complicit in facilitating the weaponisation of our collective ignorance of trauma and abuse dynamics to impose further harm upon victims.
The extensively researched book brings to light the troubling reality of how the civil law system worldwide plays an instrumental role in silencing women, and effectively exposes the disturbing trend of abusive men weaponising this system, and deploying every existing social, legal and medical bias against women, to perpetuate harm against their victims after separation or retaliation. Specifically, the design of defamation law, its constant prioritisation of the accused's right to privacy over the accuser’s right to their story, coupled with the outrageous permissibility of NDAs in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault, conveniently enable its use as a tool to intimidate individuals, particularly victims of abuse, out of speaking out, and subject them to punishment if they dare to do so. This is manifested through the prolonged legal proceedings, depleting financial costs, and the lack of adequate protection in any form in civil courts, which are commonly said to be abusers' favourite playground and victims' worst nightmare, unlike criminal courts, where it's slightly more favourable—though still not ideal, and often unlikely, due to the restricting statutes of limitations which are inconsistent with the experiences of most traumatised victims and the time window they often require to come to full realisation about the abuse they have been subjected to, and/or muster the will to come forward and report it—for a victim to be. Consequently, victims find themselves trapped within trauma-ignorant courtrooms, known for their reflex scepticism of victims, and their chronically unhopeful outcomes, unable to move forward with their lives.
These issues become evident when we examine the arbitrary, and rather punitive standards victims are held to, particularly in cases of rape and abuse, where gathering conclusive evidence becomes especially challenging due to the inherent nature of these crimes, most likely happening behind closed doors and in private, and the expectation of a seamlessly consistent recount of events or a composed demeanour in order to be deemed credible is fundamentally unrealistic as it goes against the scientifically proven impact of being subjected to a traumatic experience, which distorts one’s memory, and permanently or intermittently cripple their ability to present “normally” in stressful situations, especially when considering the insensitivity—at best—and outright hostility—at worst—that they are faced with throughout court procedures, without any kind of accommodation nor protection offered to prevent or minimise their retraumatisation. And then there is the notion of a “perfect victim”, which even goes beyond the victim's reaction to the abuse which is an ever moving target, or personal history which needs to be infallible, an absolute clean slate. It also encompasses their intersectional identity and the potential biases that may be held by judges or juries based on innate and unmitigatable factors such as race, skin colour, sexuality, class, and many more. These additional elements, though categorically irrelevant, can significantly influence how the victim is perceived and treated within the legal system, further complicating their pursuit of justice.
This book is quite the eye-opener, and I find it difficult to read through the overwhelming number of separate, yet interconnected, cases that are highlighted in it and not be compelled to critically examine the flaws within our legal systems and society at large, broaden our understanding of CC, IPV and SA beyond the common myths and misconceptions, and challenge our ingrained biases that play part in perpetuating the silencing of victims by already prejudiced laws.
These words of Marilyn Frye from her book The Politics of Reality instantly came to mind and lingered as I read How Many More Women by Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida. At large, the book serves as a clear demonstration of how easily individuals can overlook systemic issues when they encounter them within a single case, and highlights the alarming tendency for people to repeatedly fall for the same overused, unoriginal textbook manipulative tactics when they continue to form their opinions solely based on circumstantial facts, spontaneous acquisition of knowledge, and unquestioned internalised biases; an approach that isolates the case from its critical systemic context, which also plays a pivotal role in perpetuating these patterns. That, along with the absence of essential knowledge base about the relevant social, legal and medical factors at play, especially when it comes to topics around which society is knee-deep in myths and misconceptions, like Coercive Control, Intimate Partner Violence and Sexual Assault—the core subject matters of the authors’ work—prevent individuals from grasping the full magnitude of the issue or developing the right perspective needed to recognise these cases as part of a broader pattern, leaving their perception vulnerable to being manipulated, and themselves to being complicit in facilitating the weaponisation of our collective ignorance of trauma and abuse dynamics to impose further harm upon victims.
The extensively researched book brings to light the troubling reality of how the civil law system worldwide plays an instrumental role in silencing women, and effectively exposes the disturbing trend of abusive men weaponising this system, and deploying every existing social, legal and medical bias against women, to perpetuate harm against their victims after separation or retaliation. Specifically, the design of defamation law, its constant prioritisation of the accused's right to privacy over the accuser’s right to their story, coupled with the outrageous permissibility of NDAs in cases of domestic violence and sexual assault, conveniently enable its use as a tool to intimidate individuals, particularly victims of abuse, out of speaking out, and subject them to punishment if they dare to do so. This is manifested through the prolonged legal proceedings, depleting financial costs, and the lack of adequate protection in any form in civil courts, which are commonly said to be abusers' favourite playground and victims' worst nightmare, unlike criminal courts, where it's slightly more favourable—though still not ideal, and often unlikely, due to the restricting statutes of limitations which are inconsistent with the experiences of most traumatised victims and the time window they often require to come to full realisation about the abuse they have been subjected to, and/or muster the will to come forward and report it—for a victim to be. Consequently, victims find themselves trapped within trauma-ignorant courtrooms, known for their reflex scepticism of victims, and their chronically unhopeful outcomes, unable to move forward with their lives.
These issues become evident when we examine the arbitrary, and rather punitive standards victims are held to, particularly in cases of rape and abuse, where gathering conclusive evidence becomes especially challenging due to the inherent nature of these crimes, most likely happening behind closed doors and in private, and the expectation of a seamlessly consistent recount of events or a composed demeanour in order to be deemed credible is fundamentally unrealistic as it goes against the scientifically proven impact of being subjected to a traumatic experience, which distorts one’s memory, and permanently or intermittently cripple their ability to present “normally” in stressful situations, especially when considering the insensitivity—at best—and outright hostility—at worst—that they are faced with throughout court procedures, without any kind of accommodation nor protection offered to prevent or minimise their retraumatisation. And then there is the notion of a “perfect victim”, which even goes beyond the victim's reaction to the abuse which is an ever moving target, or personal history which needs to be infallible, an absolute clean slate. It also encompasses their intersectional identity and the potential biases that may be held by judges or juries based on innate and unmitigatable factors such as race, skin colour, sexuality, class, and many more. These additional elements, though categorically irrelevant, can significantly influence how the victim is perceived and treated within the legal system, further complicating their pursuit of justice.
This book is quite the eye-opener, and I find it difficult to read through the overwhelming number of separate, yet interconnected, cases that are highlighted in it and not be compelled to critically examine the flaws within our legal systems and society at large, broaden our understanding of CC, IPV and SA beyond the common myths and misconceptions, and challenge our ingrained biases that play part in perpetuating the silencing of victims by already prejudiced laws.
December 31, 2023
Very insightful and written in an accessibile language. The authors are two very well-respected human rights lawyers in the field. The essay explores the free speech dimension of gender-based violence. It goes deeply into all areas starting from how legislation fails women who decide to speak up, how the justice system reinforces it and how the media and platforms exacerbate it. I particularly enjoyed all the attention and exploration on defamation and the issue of SLAPPs that turn against women's ability to speak to the public about gender-based violence and the chilling effect on other women leading to more impunity for such crimes. International norms and mechanisms that are setting standards to protect women are also included. To complete the legal analysis of the issues, there are tons of examples from women, journalists, campaigners, activists to support it.
I enjoyed every line of the book until I came to Chapter 7 about Depp v. Heard trial. The Chapter could have highlighted in the most neutral and factual possibile way how the trial has shown the issues mentioned in the previous chapters, including the media trial happening outside the court rooms in newspapers and social media and how misogyny is still deeply rooted in our society. Instead, the Chapter turns out to be a very forced depiction of Amber Heard as a feminist pioneer supported by very arguable statements (such as for example that even though experts including psychiatrists and psychologists said there was mutual abuse, such thing doesn't exist when there is domestic violence EVER) and omissions on the tons of evidence provided in the trail about abuse from Amber and the serious issues related to her mental health. I honestly found it quite intellectually dishonest as, on the one hand, Amber Heard is Jennifer Robinson's client, and, on the other hand, the lack of recognition that the victim in this case is white famous wealthy privileged woman. I believe that while all victims are women and in so equal, there are other characteristics that need to be considered: I do believe the ability of a poor and women belonging to a minority to speak up and then stand for trial is not the same. The intersectional-approach to discrimination is completely missing in the book. This is because these lawyers are used to defend wealthy clients and their view is full of classism, sorry to say. They don't give the same praise to Virginia Giuffré or the other women who speak up about Epstein and Prince Andrew's abuse for example.
For this reason, it doesn't deserve 5 stairs for me.
I enjoyed every line of the book until I came to Chapter 7 about Depp v. Heard trial. The Chapter could have highlighted in the most neutral and factual possibile way how the trial has shown the issues mentioned in the previous chapters, including the media trial happening outside the court rooms in newspapers and social media and how misogyny is still deeply rooted in our society. Instead, the Chapter turns out to be a very forced depiction of Amber Heard as a feminist pioneer supported by very arguable statements (such as for example that even though experts including psychiatrists and psychologists said there was mutual abuse, such thing doesn't exist when there is domestic violence EVER) and omissions on the tons of evidence provided in the trail about abuse from Amber and the serious issues related to her mental health. I honestly found it quite intellectually dishonest as, on the one hand, Amber Heard is Jennifer Robinson's client, and, on the other hand, the lack of recognition that the victim in this case is white famous wealthy privileged woman. I believe that while all victims are women and in so equal, there are other characteristics that need to be considered: I do believe the ability of a poor and women belonging to a minority to speak up and then stand for trial is not the same. The intersectional-approach to discrimination is completely missing in the book. This is because these lawyers are used to defend wealthy clients and their view is full of classism, sorry to say. They don't give the same praise to Virginia Giuffré or the other women who speak up about Epstein and Prince Andrew's abuse for example.
For this reason, it doesn't deserve 5 stairs for me.
July 27, 2024
A must read foreveyone tbh, it's probs a 4.5 stars but all the reviews that I've seen are kinda misogynistic sooooooo it's 5 stars. It highland alot of topical issues as well as issues that have unfortunately faded from public view. It has redacted pages that are almost ironic as the authors are trying to draw attention to certain cases and their precedents, yet they themselves are silenced. Great read and I would highly recommend.
March 16, 2023
Important, terrifying, meticulous and heartbreaking
Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida have written a book that should be on the school curriculum, and compulsory reading. Everyone should understand what few do. Thank you
Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida have written a book that should be on the school curriculum, and compulsory reading. Everyone should understand what few do. Thank you
December 22, 2022
I gave this book one star and it would of been lower…. How can people actually print this stuff without getting sued. I am a DV survivor and this book is pure fiction. Absolutely garbage .
November 10, 2024
amazingly written book on how the law continues to allow abusive males to re-traumatise their victims, the chapters on amber heard were so emotionally impacting especially as it’s from the perspective of amber’s uk lawyer. i will always stand with amber heard. highly recommend!
“But what troubled me was that it didn't seem to matter. It didn't seem to matter that Depp had lost the case. It didn't seem to matter, to many at least, that the British courts had found him to be a wife-beater. The vile, misogynistic and violent language that Depp had used about the women in his life-which was on display in court and reported in the media for all to see— didn't seem to matter either. It was Amber who continued to face suspicion and online attacks and abuse. The online noise attacking her drowned out the fact that a judge had ruled she was a survivor-and that Depp had been violent towards her. What consequences were there for Depp?”
“But what troubled me was that it didn't seem to matter. It didn't seem to matter that Depp had lost the case. It didn't seem to matter, to many at least, that the British courts had found him to be a wife-beater. The vile, misogynistic and violent language that Depp had used about the women in his life-which was on display in court and reported in the media for all to see— didn't seem to matter either. It was Amber who continued to face suspicion and online attacks and abuse. The online noise attacking her drowned out the fact that a judge had ruled she was a survivor-and that Depp had been violent towards her. What consequences were there for Depp?”
June 4, 2025
had some pretty interesting case studies and examples of areas where the legal system consistently harms women. thought the NDA chapter was especially good around it's discussion of how the law presently tries to balance 'her' right to free speech as a means of warning other women, or even just privately as a healing mechanism, and 'his' right to reputation.
there were aspects of the book that got a bit repetitive though. I would've preferred more detailed critical engagement with counter arguments, or different topics entirely, as opposed to repeating the same points over and over again.
I also really liked the points brought up around the Depp V. Heard case. given the authors' proximity to it, I thought they both tackled the misconceptions pushed online very succinctly.
there were aspects of the book that got a bit repetitive though. I would've preferred more detailed critical engagement with counter arguments, or different topics entirely, as opposed to repeating the same points over and over again.
I also really liked the points brought up around the Depp V. Heard case. given the authors' proximity to it, I thought they both tackled the misconceptions pushed online very succinctly.
December 22, 2022
Inaccurate and unrealistic view of the situation
January 18, 2025
The world owes Amber Heard an apology.
November 12, 2023
I was looking forward to this book as a female working as part of the legal system. I hadn't realised that Amber Heards lawyer was the co-author (my own fault for not researching), and had I known, I probably wouldn't have listened to this (audiobook), not because I particularly dislike Heard but because I was interested in hearing about "normal" women's experiences in the law. I also don't feel that it really answered the question of how we can stop silencing women. The parts in relation to women's stories though are well written. I would recommend Misjustice by Helena Kennedy as a better alternative on the subject.
August 22, 2025
Ended up reading about 2/3, a compelling collection of cases that show how there’s still so much injustice towards women when it comes to legal cases that tackle abuse. Seemed a bit repetitive at times though - as if it’s written for those who want to pick up this book, read a random chapter, put it back on the shelf
November 21, 2024
Really interesting to hear how it all works, and the examples were shocking!
March 3, 2025
Feminist Rage Instilled
February 24, 2024
I was hovering between 3* and 4* for this one. The substance of the book is great; a helpful overview of the ways in which legal action can act to specifically silence women who wish to share their experience of gender-based violence. However, I found the style quite a challenge with flitting between lots of different cases in lots of different places making it hard to follow a narrative at times. With the exception of the Depp trials, the others mentioned in detail are split across several chapters to deal with different aspects of them, interspersed with brief mentions of lots of other cases. This higgledy-piggledy approach made me lose track of which case was which and what the salient points were at times.
I think the one star reviews here can be safely ignored. They seem to be chiefly about the Depp trials, in one of which an author was Heard's lawyer. I actually thought this episode was one of the most interesting and well-argued parts of the book, but even if you didn't, it's just one of eight chapters.
I think the one star reviews here can be safely ignored. They seem to be chiefly about the Depp trials, in one of which an author was Heard's lawyer. I actually thought this episode was one of the most interesting and well-argued parts of the book, but even if you didn't, it's just one of eight chapters.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews