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WHAT IS A SLAPP?
A Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation (SLAPP) is a legal action or threat by a more powerful party brought to intimidate, financially damage and/or harass targets by weaponising the legal process.
SLAPPs silence critical voices - including public interest reporting and those speaking out against abuse of power or wrongdoing.
THE ISSUE
SLAPPs undermine our legal system by using the law not to resolve genuine disputes, but to exhaust communities, organisations and everyday people into silence.
SLAPPs are a growing threat in Australia - without protections, well-resourced litigants are importing established SLAPP tactics from global counterparts to silence criticism.
Women who have experienced physical and sexual abuse are particularly susceptible to being SLAPPed. There is a rising trend of perpetrators misusing defamation to silence those who report harm.
Source: The Stop the SLAPP Alliance
LEARN MORE
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STOP THE SLAPP: Why we need to protect freedom of speech in Australia.
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Understanding sexual violence. Myths, terminology and laws.
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Victim-survivors are encouraged to speak out. Defamation laws stop them.
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What is cyber bullying and what can I do about it? information and resources.
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![Human Rights Law Centre logo]()
A guide on protecting whistleblowers and NGOs from getting SLAPPed.
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How anti-SLAPP legislation might help victim-survivors be heard.
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![Redfern Legal Centre Logo]()
NDA use in sexual harassment settlements since Respect@Work Report
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![Human Rights Commission Logo]()
What needs to change to address workplace sexual harassment.
SILENCED is based on the book
“How Many More Women?”
“In this topical, urgent book, the authors call for lawmakers to tackle the way the law silences and retraumatises victims, and how it might be changed.”
By JENNIFER ROBINSON and DR KEIO YOSHIDA
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