The law will call for "a public sexual harassment offence which doesn’t currently exist."
All of us have felt the visceral fear at some point or the other while being out on the streets. However, there seems to be some kind of relief in sight—cat-calling and harassing women in the street could become a criminal offense.
According to the Express, the announcement will likely be made this week. Although, it is believed that the calls for misogyny to be made a hate crime might be rejected. Having said that, making public sexual harassment an offense is seen as a more effective way of protecting women against violence.
“The Law Commission is not going to class misogyny as a hate crime because it would be ineffective and in some cases counterproductive. But it will call for a public sexual harassment offence which doesn’t currently exist. It thinks this fits with other work the Government is doing on criminalizing intimate image abuse and will be more productive and better in protecting women,” a government official revealed.
Justice Secretary Dominic Raab has signalled that ministers believe there is no need for a new law to make the pestering of women such as wolf-whistling at them on the street a criminal offence
— PA Media (@PA) December 5, 2021
✍: @GavinCordonhttps://t.co/fKoFB9LlSR
Along with this, a raft of fresh crime policies is expected to be announced next week.
The review of hate crimes by the Law Commission was called for three years ago by Sajid Javid, who was at the time Home Secretary. “Hate crime goes directly against the long-standing British values of unity, tolerance, and mutual respect – and I am committed to stamping this sickening behavior out,” he said in 2018.
To put things into perspective, data shows that 32 percent of women in the UK feel unsafe or very unsafe when walking alone in their local area at night. Meanwhile, only 13 percent of men expressed the same concern, according to The Conversation.
Also, according to Office for National Statistics (ONS), around 49 percent of women reported feeling unsafe walking alone after nightfall in a busy public place, such as a high street or railway station.
ooh....The UK govt finally brings in a long waited new law to protect women on streets and online. Making pestering, explicate comments/pictures, wolf whistling, cat calling, unwanted sexual harassment a hate crime and to be outlawed with a criminal offense.
— Andee Harry (@AndeeHarry) December 4, 2021
“This is the first time the ONS has asked people about feelings of personal safety when walking alone in different public settings," Nick Stripe, head of the ONS crime statistics branch said, according to the Independent.
“There are some clear findings: men and women both feel less safe after dark, but the extent to which women feel unsafe is significantly greater. Disabled people, too, are more likely to feel unsafe, even in the daytime in busy public places.”
It's time for this to change, and hopefully, the new rules will establish a sense of safety in people, especially women.
References:
https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/women/office-national-statistics-women-safety-b1907807.html
https://www.independent.co.uk/topic/office-national-statistics
Cover Image Source (Representative): Getty Images | PeopleImages
