UK government seeking evidence of NDAs amid sexual assault inquiries
The UK government has requested that women in the music industry come forward with evidence of NDAs signed for the silencing of sexual assault allegations.
The new move is part of a new push to address misogyny in the industry. The inquiry held a hearing in September in which BBC Radio 1 DJ Annie Mac revealed a “tidal wave” of sexual abuse cases that have been allegedly covered up over the years.
Despite such allegations, evidence of NDAs is currently lacking, so the UK government has appealed for help from potential victims in the industry. The legally binding nature of such agreements means very few women are likely to come forward.
However, the UK government has asserted that any evidence collected will not be made public. Any potential victims can submit evidence of NDAs here until November 30th. Evidence will help to inform on “common themes” and assist the Women and Equalities Committee’s ongoing inquiry.
The government stresses that anyone submitting evidence will still be legally bound to their NDA. The submission will be protected by parliamentary privilege; therefore, sharing details of an NDA with the Committee “cannot be used as evidence in legal proceedings, and therefore direct legal action cannot be taken against a person for sharing the information.”
Those sharing evidence would be protected as it would be “potential contempt” to “subject a person to detriment as a consequence of providing information to Parliament.”
The Committee seeks written evidence on any or all of the following:
- The prevalence of the use of NDAs to silence victims of gender-based discrimination, sexual harassment and abuse in the music industry
- The motivations for creating and signing an NDA
- Circumstances of individual NDAs, including the roles of those involved (including employment status)
- Whether efforts were made to report inappropriate behaviour before an NDA was reached
- Whether NDAs have been used in cases where behaviour might be criminal.
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