News

Moves to make misogyny a hate crime

5 September 2018

By Lauren E. White

In the wake of the ‘Me Too’ movement and wider public debates surrounding sexual assault, tampon taxes, period poverty and many issues affecting women all around the world, Labour MP Stella Creasy is attempting to make misogyny a hate crime in England.

Misogyny, the hatred and prejudice against women, is often believed to be the last acceptable form of prejudice. If Creasy’s bill is passed, it is believed by many campaigners that the acceptability of misogyny will decrease among the general public.

Image result for upskirting

Currently, MPs are debating legislation that would ban ‘upskirting’ – the invasive act of taking photographs up a woman’s skirt or dress – following victim Gina Martin’s campaign. Ms Creasy is hoping to get her amendment to the upskirting bill passed which would mean a lengthier sentence for the crime if it is “motivated by misogyny”.

Nottinghamshire Police has been carrying out a pilot scheme which treats misogyny as a hate crime for two years. The results of the policy “shocked” researchers from the University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University who helped put the scheme together.

The Misogyny Hate Crime Evaluation report recommends rolling out the policy nationwide, which only goes to further support Stella Creasy’s bill in the Commons, which is already supported by many MPs including former education secretary Nicky Morgan and Labour MP Jess Phillips.

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