They have become the legal weapon of choice for the rich and powerful: non-disclosure agreements, used to silence the victims of sexual harassment and worse from an overbearing boss.

Gagging clauses – as they are known – were originally designed to stop employees sharing trade secrets when they moved to another company, but in recent years they have become synonymous with hushing up claims of sexual harassment, bullying and other abuse, some of it potentially criminal.

The contracts can be so binding, so all-encompassing, that victims, in return for a financial payout, are prevented from talking about allegations of conduct ranging from systematic bullying, intimidation and abuse to sexual harassment and even assault.

Many women – and men for that matter – will feel that it is easier to take the pay-off and the gagging clause that comes with it, rather than try to fight the usually wealthy and powerful boss and their legal team and risk losing everything.

Last year the use of non-disclosure agreements, or NDAs for short, was thrown into sharp focus by the exposure of Harvey Weinstein, the film producer, who was named in multiple allegations as being a serial sex abuser.

Weinstein had managed to protect his reputation for decades, often buying women’s silence in return for their signature on an NDA. His victims were said to have been put in such fear that one woman refused to talk to a counsellor about Weinstein’s attempt to rape her because she was “so afraid” of breaking the agreement. Weinstein had used lawyers on both sides of the Atlantic to keep intact his reputation, now thoroughly discredited.