How Many More Women? The silencing of women by the law and how to stop it

'This important book demonstrates how man-made laws and legal procedures bear down harshly and unfairly on women who try to exercise their free speech rights to complain about domestic violence and abuse. At a time when reform of defective laws of defamation and confidentiality is being considered in many English-speaking countries, the injustices eloquently described by these authors deserve special attention. Theirs is a book that should be read - with shame - by judges and politicians and with appreciation by news editors, journalists, and all concerned to enhance freedom of speech.' GEOFFREY ROBERTSON KC

‘Compelling… brilliant but shaming.’ CHERIE BLAIR, KC

‘Crucial reading for any person wanting to fight against all forms of gendered abuse.’ JESS PHILLIPS, MP

‘This book is another brick through the windows of our legal systems: a brilliant, trenchant analysis of what is wrong with the law.’ HELENA KENNEDY, KC

‘A clear-eyed and damning indictment of the criminal justice system… the writing is engaging and gripping.’ IRISH TIMES

We are in a crucial moment: women are breaking through the cultural reticence around gender-based violence. But just as survivors have begun to feel empowered to speak out, a new form of systematic silencing has made itself more evident: rich and powerful men are using teams of lawyers to suppress allegations and prevent newspaper stories from running. Individual women, advocacy groups and journalists find themselves fighting against censorship.

The law is being wielded to reinforce the status quo of silence that existed before #MeToo.

If women cannot speak about their abuse ­- and journalists are fearful of telling their stories – then how can we understand the problem of gender-based violence in our society? And how can we even begin to end it?

In How Many More Women? internationally-acclaimed human rights lawyers, Jennifer Robinson and Keina Yoshida, examine the broken systems and explore the changes needed in order to ensure that women’s freedom, including their freedom of speech, is no longer threatened by the laws that are supposed to protect them.