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No, we don’t mean the sub-par album Take That released a few years ago.
Nottinghamshire Police has said it will now expand its categories for crime to include incidents of misogyny.
This means that in any case of abuse, harassment or unwanted attention, it can now be treated as a hate crime, and will be investigated as such. Nottingham Women’s Centre said it hopes it will give more victims the courage to report the incidents.
Sue Fish, Chief Constable in Nottingham, said it will make the county a safer place for women.
“What women face, often on a daily basis, is absolutely unacceptable and can be extremely distressing,” she said.
“Nottinghamshire Police is committed to taking misogynistic hate crime seriously and encourages anyone who is affected by it to contact us without hesitation.”
The police force describes misogynistic hate crime as: “Incidents against women that are motivated by an attitude of a man towards a woman and includes behaviour targeted towards a woman by men simply because they are a woman.”
It now means that what might not have been considered a crime will now be treated as a crime.
So someone yelling sexual or abusive language at you in the street – crime.
Unwanted attention from a creepy bloke who won’t leave you alone – crime.
Basically any man being a sexist pig in Nottingham – crime.
The Women’s Centre has been a crucial part in recognising these hate crimes, and learning how to appropriately tackle the crimes when they arise.
Domestic abuse, however, will not be counted in the hate crime category as that is its own procedure, according to the force.
Hate crimes are now defined by someone being targeted for their skin colour or ethnicity, a disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, or religious beliefs.
Again, there will always be a minority who thinks this is a step too far. That everyday sexism should be accepted; it’s a compliment to be yelled at in public, or harassed with unwanted attention. I’m sure many of these people will go to the toxic Reddit forums or wherever and complain, and whine about ‘reverse sexism’, but I have one very succinct gif for you:
Get a grip. Stop being a b**pbag.