Northumbria University has signed the 'Can't Buy My Silence' Pledge:
“Backed by the Minister for Higher and Further Education, former Equalities Select Committee Chair Maria Miller MP and campaign group #CantBuyMySilence, we [Northumbria University, as signed by Andrew Wathey former Vice-Chancellor] commit to not using Non-Disclosure Agreements to silence people who come forward to raise complaints of sexual harassment, abuse or misconduct, or other forms of harassment and bullying.”
Background to the #CantBuyMySilence Campaign
Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) have become the default solution for organisations, corporations, individuals and public bodies to settle cases of sexual misconduct, racism, pregnancy discrimination and other human rights violations. These agreements, which threaten people with legal consequences, have been used to cover up abuse, and in some cases criminal acts.
Heightened awareness and global discussion around the misuse of NDAs has resulted in policy changes in some organisations, new guidance from regulators and new laws and regulations in a range of countries.
The goal of the ‘Can’t Buy My Silence’ campaign is simple – legislative and regulatory change that will make NDAs unenforceable for anything other than their original purpose – the prevention of sharing confidential business information (“intellectual property”) and trade secrets. NDAs are unnecessary for protecting victim identity, catastrophically damaging to innocent parties, and immoral when they hide harmful information from the public.
More information about the #CantBuyMySilence pledge can be found on the campaign website.
