Zelda Perkins and the Fight Against Silence: A Victory for Survivors and Accountability

Zelda Perkins, Founder, Can't Buy My Silence

In 1998, Zelda Perkins was a young assistant working for Harvey Weinstein at his London office. At just 24 years old, she found herself at the center of one of the earliest documented attempts to expose the now-notorious Hollywood producer’s long pattern of sexual misconduct. After a colleague confided in her about being sexually assaulted by Weinstein during the Venice Film Festival, Perkins did what few had done before: she took action. She confronted Weinstein, demanded accountability, and when no adequate internal response followed, she hired a lawyer.

What came next shaped the rest of her life.

Perkins was pressured into signing a strict non-disclosure agreement (NDA) as part of a settlement negotiated on behalf of her colleague. The terms of the NDA were extensive and deeply silencing. She was forbidden from speaking about what had happened—even to a therapist or immediate family member—and she was not allowed to keep a copy of the agreement itself. The experience left her shaken, not just by the abuse she had witnessed, but by the legal system that enabled it.

For nearly twenty years, she lived under the weight of that silence.

In 2017, when the first major stories about Weinstein’s abuse were published, Perkins broke the terms of her NDA and spoke publicly. She was no longer willing to remain silent about what she had seen and endured. Her bravery helped pave the way for others to come forward, and it added fuel to a growing public reckoning about NDAs, power, and the rights of survivors.

But Perkins didn’t stop at telling her story. She co-founded Can’t Buy My Silence, a campaign and advocacy organization focused on ending the misuse of NDAs to cover up abuse, harassment, and misconduct. Working with legal experts, policymakers, and survivors, the organization has helped shape conversations and legislation in the UK and beyond. Their work is rooted in the belief that while confidentiality has a role to play in some legal contexts, it should never be used to conceal harm or silence those who speak the truth.

“Victims and witnesses of harassment and discrimination should never be silenced… This cannot go on. That is why we are stamping out this practice… no one should suffer in silence and we will back workers and give survivors the voice that they deserve.” - Deputy Prime Minister (UK) Angela Rayner

In July 2025, that work bore fruit in a significant and historic way. The UK government announced new legislation under the Employment Rights Bill that will limit the use of NDAs in cases of sexual harassment and abuse. The legislation will make it illegal for employers to require victims to remain silent as a condition of settlement. It shifts the balance of power away from employers and toward complainants, giving survivors more control over their own experiences and legal outcomes.

“This victory belongs to the people who broke their NDAs, who risked everything to speak the truth when they were told they couldn’t. Without their courage, none of this would be happening.” Zelda Perkins

For Zelda Perkins, this moment is both personal and political. It is a hard-won victory after decades of silence, advocacy, and relentless work. And for the broader survivor community, it is a breakthrough—proof that systems can change, that secrets can be dismantled, and that justice is not always out of reach.

For organizations like The Restitution Project, this moment matters deeply. The misuse of NDAs is not just a legal issue—it’s a moral one. When survivors are silenced, communities are denied the opportunity to learn, grow, and prevent future harm. NDAs that protect abusers isolate victims, obstruct recovery, and delay justice. The work of The Restitution Project—ensuring that survivors can access compensation, support, and legal recognition—is strengthened by legal reforms like these. With fewer barriers to disclosure, survivors are freer to seek restitution on their own terms.

Zelda Perkins has often said that her goal was not just to confront one man’s actions, but to change the system that allowed him to act with impunity for so long. Today, that system looks a little different. Her courage has helped rewrite the rules, and in doing so, has offered survivors around the world something long denied to them: the right to speak—and to be heard.