Grant #473

CBMS International Canada

November 1, 2021

Traumatized? Sign This NDA And Shut Up For The Rest Of Your Life.

Some of the most courageous disclosures in the #MeToo movement came from women who had promised not to tell what happened to them.

Others have spoken out on various workplace issues in defiance of the Non-Disclosure Agreements they’d signed, risking financial and professional ruin in order to be heard.

The consequences can be painful. That’s why NDAs are effective against victims of sexual aggression and other abuses.

Now, some powerful champions including one of Canada’s most distinguished legal figures are fighting for justice.

Dr. Julie Macfarlane knows how these “gag orders” are used to settle cases and silence victims of sexual misconduct, racism, pregnancy discrimination, and other violations of human rights and employment law.

Along with likeminded people and organizations in other countries, CBMS International Canada is pressing for change.

They want to outlaw all NDAs except the ones that protect people’s commercial proprietary information. They want regulatory reform so sneaky little NDAs can’t hide in business codes or legal practice. They want victims to be free to tell their stories if they want, shielding their identities if they want. Finally, in the crusade to end NDAs, transparency and accountability should prevail, making public what happens to the abusers, bullies, harassers and the organizations that allowed the bad things to happen.

Dr. Macfarlane and her colleague Zelda Perkins created the “Can’t Buy My Silence” campaign to explain the issues and get people fired up.

This Awesome grant will go to help with the myriad costs of a new enterprise, including online presence and social media development.

If YOU have an NDA story to tell, they’re listening here, please share.

And do get to know Dr. Macfarlane. Through her activism, advocacy, books, research, blog, podcast, news of events and appearances, ProfJulieMac.com is a model of disclosure.

Category: Activism, Law, Women

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT AWESOMENESS!

After 11+ years, we’re signing off and closing applications for good. We’ve supported 571 projects with $571,000 in grant dollars. We’re so proud to have celebrated such incredible work. Please visit https://www.awesomefoundation.org/ for more information on other AWESOME chapters! And thanks for sharing so much awesomeness with us.

Cheers,
Team Awesome Without Borders