Dr Charlotte Proudman
@DrProudman • 87,401 subscribers
Woman of the Year 2025 | Author of HE SAID SHE SAID | Family Law Barrister | Cambridge Academic | Founder @Right2Equality. Personal acct. RT/Like ≠endorsements.
Videos
Hana-Rāwhiti Maipi-Clarke led a haka in Parliament to oppose a bill undermining Te Tiriti o Waitangi. This bill seeks to reinterpret New Zealand’s founding treaty, threatening Māori sovereignty. Such attacks on Indigenous rights have no place in 2024. Women’s rage is powerful 🙌🏼
Dr Charlotte Proudman97,171 views • 1 year ago
When judges engage in harassment, they must be held accountable, otherwise how can the public have confidence in the judiciary? I spoke on Times Radio with Cathy Newman about Judge Daniel Sawyer targeting me on X. He even made a malicious complaint about me to Bar Standards Board to try to silence me and damage my career. After a lengthy investigation, it was dropped with no apology or explanation. He has not been held accountable by the JCIO. His anonymous account: Tweety
Dr Charlotte Proudman21,951 views • 3 months ago
Dr Charlotte Proudman v Bar Standards Board. I am taking my regulator to an employment tribunal for discriminating against me as a woman and feminist. The public can attend the open hearing. 12 February 2026 at 2pm. REQUEST FOR REMOTE LINK [email protected]
Dr Charlotte Proudman23,061 views • 5 months ago
The High Court has upheld a ruling that a six-year-old girl must keep her rapist father’s surname, calling it part of her “identity.” Forcing a survivor’s child to bear an abuser’s name is not protection - it is retraumatisation and state-sanctioned harm.
Dr Charlotte Proudman32,553 views • 8 months ago
After the Bar Standards Board case against me was thrown out for criticising a judge’s “boys’ club” attitude to domestic abuse, I’ve brought a sex discrimination claim against my regulator. The preliminary hearing is private. The final hearing will be public. I will not be silenced.
Dr Charlotte Proudman18,081 views • 5 months ago
Today I had the opportunity to speak on ITV’s Loose Women about something incredibly close to my heart, my book He Said She Said and the heartbreaking failures of the family court system. I spoke not just as an author or advocate, but as someone who has lived through the traumas we too often minimise or dismiss in law and public discourse. During the segment, I shared one of the most harrowing stories I’ve come across as a barrister—a judge threatening to have a rape survivor’s child adopted if she continued with her allegations. It's one of the first stories recounted in my book because it truly exemplifies the brokenness of the system. Furthermore, in family court, there is no formal definition of rape, no standard definition of consent—yet these courts are making life-altering decisions for survivors, mothers, and children daily. There is an assumption baked into our legal system that contact with both parents is always in the best interest of the child, but I know from both my work experience and lived experience that no parent is far better than an abusive one. The presumption of contact has become a weapon, allowing abusers to maintain control under the guise of shared parenting. It must be repealed. As a child raised in a household shadowed by domestic abuse and alcoholism, I carry the passion to speak out. Survivors need to be believed, protected, and supported. The system needs radical reform, and it begins with listening to the voices of those who’ve been silenced too long. Thank you to Loose Women for their work on the Facing It Together Campaign to address domestic abuse, and for allowing me to speak on my book alongside this work in this space. My heartfelt thanks to Brenda Edwards, Denise Welch, Kelle Bryan, and Olivia Attwood-Dack, who have spoken out about their experiences of abuse in the past and are breaking ground on creating a world where abuse is unacceptable and survivors will not be silenced.
Dr Charlotte Proudman37,020 views • 1 year ago
I’ve represented survivors for years but this judgment shocked me: a 6-year-old must keep the surname of the man who raped her mother and threatened to kill them. No contact with her father since 2021, yet the court says his name is key to her identity?
Dr Charlotte Proudman22,369 views • 7 months ago
Yesterday on ITV’s Loose Women , I shared about a judge threatening a rape survivor. He said that if she continued with her allegations, her child would be taken into care. It was a chilling abuse of power—and a horrific example of how deeply broken our family court system truly is. Worse still, incidents like these are not isolated. I share several examples of survivors facing harm in the courtroom in my book, He Said She Said. But family court judges operate with judicial immunity, meaning they cannot be held personally accountable, even when their decisions cause direct harm. Survivors of abuse (many already re-traumatised by the legal process) are left with no recourse when the very institution meant to protect their children instead threatens to punish them for speaking the truth. In one case I represented, a mother, a rape survivor, was forced to fight for her daughter’s safety when CAFCASS recommended unsupervised contact between the child and father, convicted serial rapist Kristoffer Paul Arthur White. Why? Because the family court system clings to the misguided presumption that a child’s contact with any parent, even one proven to be abusive, is better than no contact at all. As someone who grew up in a home shadowed by domestic abuse and alcoholism, I can say with absolute certainty: no parent is far better than an abusive one. The current system prioritises the rights of abusers to maintain control, rather than the rights of children to be safe and of mothers to be believed. This has to change. We need a family court system that listens to survivors, holds judges accountable, and stops endangering children and survivors through a pro-contact culture. We owe survivors better. We owe children better. We need to continue speaking out until the system is no longer a silent accomplice to abuse.
Dr Charlotte Proudman29,844 views • 1 year ago
Carol O’Reilly was subjected to a horrifying, near-fatal assault by a man who left her with permanent brain damage, broken bones, memory loss, and a life forever altered. But what’s almost as appalling is the catastrophic failure of Police Scotland to protect her. After a public assault that left her barely conscious, officers made the incomprehensible decision to put her in a police van with her abuser. He was not arrested. He was not restrained. Instead, he was allowed to talk his way out of handcuffs. He prevented her from receiving treatment at the hospital and took her back to a hotel, where the violence continued. This appears to be systemic misogyny in action. This case exposes a fundamental lack of understanding by the police of domestic abuse dynamics. Time and again, police treat abuse as a private matter or fail to grasp the power and control abusers exert over victims. The result? Women like Carol suffer unimaginable violence while institutions charged with protecting them actively place them in harm’s way. Carol’s courage in speaking out is extraordinary, but she should never have had to survive this in the first place. Her attacker was jailed, but no officer has been held to account. The police response is being hidden behind confidentiality clauses, and Carol hasn’t even been allowed to see the report about what happened to her. The time for quiet reviews and empty apologies is over. We need systemic reform, transparency, and accountability now.
Dr Charlotte Proudman17,978 views • 11 months ago
Tonight on Channel 4 News , I spoke about the abuse of power by male barristers and the widespread sexual harassment women face at the Bar. For over a decade, I’ve called out the misogyny deeply embedded in our profession—and the cost for doing so has been high. The segment exposed the double standard: survivors of harassment are disbelieved, discredited, and pushed out, while male perpetrators are protected. Survivors of Jo Sidhu KC’s misconduct told Cathy Newman how terrified they were to speak out—his behaviour was an “open secret” in chambers. Yet even after reporting him, they were met with silence and delay from the Bar Standards Board . The Bar Standards Board even attempted to impose a gagging order—an NDA—on survivors. In my view, this is unlawful and morally indefensible. The truth is, the Bar Standards Board is not just complicit—they are perpetrators too. They prosecuted me for criticising a judgment in a domestic abuse case, threatening disbarment and a £100,000 fine. Meanwhile, they did nothing about male barristers who launched misogynistic abuse at me—calling me a cunt, wanker, calling for me to be sectioned, denigrating my intelligence, and sexist comments about my appearance. According to the Bar Standards Board , that was “free speech.” When women speak up, we’re punished. When men abuse, they’re protected. This is a broken system. I share my story—and the stories of many others—in my book He Said, She Said, exposing how the legal system upholds gendered power and punishes those who challenge it. We need urgent reform. We need real accountability. And we need a profession that protects survivors—not silences them. I would like to thank the incredibly brave and courageous survivors who have spoken out, with special thanks to my friend Anneka. You cannot underestimate the cost of survivors speaking out publicly in the hopes of changing the future for the better, both to prevent harm and encourage other survivors.
Dr Charlotte Proudman18,073 views • 1 year ago
Over 80 allegations of misconduct against Gregg Wallace, with nearly half upheld, yet somehow, the spotlight is on his feelings, not the people impacted. This is what systemic abuse of power under patriarchy looks like. A man stands accused by numerous individuals, and instead of real accountability, we get a performance of victimhood. It’s the classic DARVO playbook. Reframe the story. Centre yourself. Use personal struggles as a shield. It’s a tactic as old as misogyny itself, and it works because power protects power. Institutions time and again move to safeguard men like Gregg, while those affected—disproportionately women—are left to navigate silence, dismissal, or even blame. The BBC is not the only organisation complicit in protecting abusers. Furthermore, neurodivergence is not an excuse for mistreatment. Harassment doesn’t come from autism. It comes from unchecked entitlement, a culture of impunity, and structures that have long prioritised the reputations of men over the safety and dignity of women. We won’t see real change until we achieve equality and abusers see tangible, immediate consequences. Listen in to learn more from this afternoon's conversation with Shelagh Fogarty on LBC .
Dr Charlotte Proudman14,751 views • 1 year ago
I marched because women’s rights are under attack. Bar Standards Board tried to silence me for criticising a ruling by a judge in the all-male Garrick Club. I won the legal case against me. Meanwhile, boys’ clubs—Trump, Musk, Zuckerberg—thrive. We will not be silenced✊🏼 ukwomensmarchlondon.
Dr Charlotte Proudman17,030 views • 1 year ago
Gisèle Pelicot is extraordinary. The conviction of all 51 of her abusers is a testament to her strength and resolve. This case is a reminder that for systemic change to ensure the justice system truly works for survivors, shame must change sides. Waiving her anonymity was an act of defiance against enduring myths surrounding rape, and the misplaced shame survivors are too often made to carry. She's not only reclaimed her voice, but also sent a powerful message that justice can- and must- be done. Her bravery exposes the urgent need to dismantle harmful stereotypes, confront societal complicity, and build a justice system that centres survivors’ rights, dignity, and access to justice. She's shown us what's possible when shame is redirected to its rightful place- with the perpetrators.
Dr Charlotte Proudman16,596 views • 1 year ago
It’s astonishing that Cafcass’s main response to my book exposing family court failures is an attempt to silence a woman speaking out on behalf of survivors. The CEO of Cafcass targeted my colleague Dr. Jessica Taylor for stating a fact at my book launch: some social workers abuse children. She deserves an apology—not intimidation. A victim advocate sharing hard truths should be met with reflection, not retaliation. Instead, we’ve seen veiled threats and efforts to intimidate, proving exactly the point He Said, She Said makes. I have suffered similar attacks. I faced a three-year disciplinary by the Bar Standards Board for criticising a domestic abuse judgment. I was vindicated. In family court, a Cafcass officer personally attacked me. I later received an apology in writing. I’m also aware of another colleague who was complained about by Cafcass. This isn’t a one-off—it’s a pattern. Silencing women who expose abuse protects perpetrators and perpetuates harm. If you’re part of that, you are complicit. Read & Sign Right to Equality Statement here: #FamilyCourtFailings #DomesticAbuse #SilencingWomen #BelieveWomen #ProtectChildren #SystemicMisogyny #Cafcass #JusticeForSurvivors #EndViolenceAgainstWomen #CourtReform #HeSaidSheSaid #charlotteproudman #JessTaylor #RightToEquality #FeministLawyer #ChildProtection #AccountabilityNow #AbuseOfPower #SupportSurvivors #FamilyJustice #familycourt #familycourts
Dr Charlotte Proudman13,364 views • 1 year ago
The system is broken, but people don’t realise it until it’s too late and they themselves are in it. Most of the public still believes the legal system operates with fairness, integrity, and justice. But those who enter the family courts—especially victim-survivors of abuse—discover something very different. They learn that the system is not designed to protect them or their children. They learn that speaking up is punished. They learn that “contact at all costs” is the default, even when it means placing children with abusers. In the recently released documentary, Kate Kniveton bravely shares how draining the process has been: financially, emotionally, and psychologically. But she’d do it all again to protect her child. Every survivor-parent I have represented has looked into the jaws of family court, steeled themselves, and continued fighting on, doing whatever it takes to protect their children. And I've seen the family court harm them in ways the abuse they escaped never could. These women's courage is extraordinary. They deserve safety and belief. For now, Kate and her child are safe. But the future is uncertain because the law still presumes contact is in a child’s best interests, even when there’s clear evidence of abuse. As I argue in He Said She Said, this presumption is not just outdated—it is dangerous. It protects perpetrators and punishes protective parents, especially mothers. Kate’s story is one of rare legal recognition. But the system she faced is routine. And while her bravery has helped expose the reality of the family courts, we should not expect survivors to carry this burden alone. We must change the law. End the presumption of contact. Protect children. Believe survivors.
Dr Charlotte Proudman11,131 views • 11 months ago