Cease and desist letters mean cases often don’t reach court, say experts, amid calls for law to be reformed
A rise in cease and desist letters being issued to survivors of sexual assault is having a chilling effect on women who speak out about sexual violence, the shadow minister for domestic violence and safeguarding has said.
Jess Phillips, the Labour MP for Yardley, alongside leading women’s rights experts and lawyers, has said that the threat of legal action is being used to silence women. They say cease and desist letters in some cases are the first step to filing a defamation claim in the civil courts.
In the UK, Rape Crisis offers support for rape and sexual abuse on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, or 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland. In the US, Rainn offers support on 800-656-4673. In Australia, support is available at 1800Respect (1800 737 732). Other international helplines can be found at ibiblio.org/rcip/internl.html
