Silenced

When millions of women raised their voices and declared #MeToo, the outpouring of survivor stories shattered the cultural silence around abuse. Finally, the prevalence of sexual violence in our communities could no longer be ignored, and there was hope that things had changed for good.

But over time, the threat of these disclosures led to a backlash. Now we’re seeing a new kind of silencing, as powerful and ordinary men alike exploit the justice system to silence their victims once more. Renowned human rights lawyer Jennifer Robinson is on the frontlines of this battle, fighting for a woman’s right to speak.

This film addresses the failings of the legal system to protect women who speak up about sexual violence. It calls for a more equitable and fair system that protects the presumption of innocence, privacy and reputation whilst upholding women’s rights to free speech and to live a life free from violence.

The prevalence of sexual and physical violence in Australia, and around the world, means that all women have either experienced abuse themselves, or know someone who has. We want this film to resonate with all women, regardless of age, religion, ethnicity, language, economic status, and ability. Men are powerful allies in the fight against sexual and physical violence. We know they care about eradicating gender-based violence, too. We want SILENCED to reach them, and for audiences to come away asking questions about our society and the law.

SILENCED is an opportunity to reignite the conversation around sexual violence in Australia, specifically how the law is working to silence women, and perversely, deliver unjust outcomes for victims and survivors of abuse. Possible impact goals include: law reform, for instance a review of defamation law and its impact on survivors of sexual violence; a public awareness campaign that encourages men and women to support survivors eg #YouToo can help; development of educational resources to encourage young women to break the silence around sexual violence; legal resources to support women to share their experiences without risk of being sued.

Stranger Than Fiction Films approached Jennifer Robinson and Dr Keina Yoshida after developing a deep connection with their book How Many More Women? Since then, Jennifer and Keina have become deeply involved in the development of this film, their legal and personal insights offering invaluable context for what will be an incredibly powerful story. Through Jennifer and Keina, Stranger Than Fiction films met Brittany Higgins and Amber Heard, filming with them for a sizzle for the film. An all female team, Stranger Than Fiction hold deep personal connections to this story and a passion for cultural and systemic change. Jennifer and Keina have trusted Stranger Than Fiction Films with this story, and believe in our ability to deliver a film that, through a deeply personal and cinematic approach, will challenge audiences to empathize with these women and demand change.

Ultimately we want women to feel able to share their experiences of trauma without risk of legal persecution. Calls to action will work in line with our impact goals. These will be both global and systematic as well as intimate and personal. These may include a public awareness campaign that encourages men and women to support survivors, calls for professionals in the legal system to rethink the ways in which legal language impacts women who have suffered from sexual assault and calls for both men and women to think about the way they engage with sexual assault cases that appear in the news. The way they speak to their friends and family about these cases will impact how someone comes forward about their own sexual assault.