MPs to vote on whether to make misogyny a hate crime
Amendment tabled that would ensure misogyny seen as aggravating factor
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Your support makes all the difference.MPs are set to vote on whether misogyny should be considered a hate crime.
Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, has put forward an amendment to the upskirting bill that would ensure that misogyny is seen as an aggravating factor.
If successful, the move would allow courts to consider misogyny when passing sentences.
“Upskirting is a classic example of a crime in which misogyny is motivating the offence,” Ms Creasy told the Guardian.
“We protect women in the workplace from discrimination on grounds of their sex, but not in the courtroom – with upskirting, street harassment, sexually based violence and abuse a part of life for so many it’s time to learn from where misogyny has been treated as a form of hate crime and end this gap.”
The votes come after Downing Street announced the government would introduce a law to ban upskirting after a previous attempt by MPs to bring one in was blocked.
Theresa May discussed the new law with cabinet ministers before the parliamentary recess after Conservative MP Sir Christopher Chope torpedoed the bid by backbenchers to push one through.
Sir Christopher’s actions led to outrage and embarrassment for other Conservatives who backed the bill, while someone hung women’s underwear off the doors of his offices in protest.
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