Silent menace we must defeat
Katie to tell MPs about son’s torment
Campaigner Katie & her son Harvey
KATIE Price will talk to MPs today in her bid to combat internet trolls after disabled son Harvey suffered “the cruellest imaginable” taunts.
Mum-of-five Katie is calling for new legislation – Harvey’s Law – to make certain online abuse illegal.
The TV star and former glamour model will tell the Commons’ Petitions Committee about the shocking remarks directed at Harvey, 18.
Writing in the Mirror, Labour’s Catherine McKinnell, who chairs the committee, says online abuse is a “regular part of daily life” for MPs and many others.
On the star speaking to the committee a year after a previous appearance, Ms McKinnell added: “Katie’s evidence will once again shine a much-needed spotlight on these key issues...
“If the Government fails to tackle online abuse, the impact will only get worse, and the potential consequences of that are unthinkable.”
She said Harvey, who is autistic and partially blind, has suffered “the cruellest comments imaginable”. Katie, 42,
MS McKINNELL’S CALL FOR THE TORIES TO ACT
WITH people spending more time online than ever during this pandemic, the problem of abuse is worsening.
Online abuse can at best wear you down and put people off engaging but at worst it can have a huge impact on mental health, especially to those who are vulnerable.
That is why my committee has set up an inquiry to tackle this silent menace.
We will consider the scale and impact of online abuse, including on disabled people and the LGBT+ community. We will investigate what the Government is doing to explore solutions for its does not want legislation to be restricted to those who target the disabled.
She told MPs last year: “I know I’m here because it started off because of Harvey... but this isn’t just for people with disabilities. It will help everybody.”
Katie also wants a register of those found guilty of online abuse.
The Government plans an Online Harms Bill to hold websites accountable if they fail to tackle harmful content. But the bill is still in its initial phase, with insiders blaming delays caused by the pandemic.
Lord Puttnam, chair of the Lords Democracy and Digital Committe, fears the laws may not come into effect until 2024.
He said: “Here’s a bill the Government paraded as very important – and it is – which they’ve managed to lose somehow.”
The Government said the legislation will be ready in this parliamentary session.
■ Katie is being filmed for a BBC documentary – Katie Price: Harvey and Me – in which she will describe what it is like making the vital decisions as a disabled child approaches adulthood.
If they fail to tackle abuse, the impact will get worse
reduction and prevention. In the last Parliament, I worked extensively as a member of the Petitions Committee to highlight the abuse disabled people face.
Over a year on, I fear this Government is no closer to understanding the true scale of the problem. If it fails to tackle online abuse, the impact will only get worse – and the potential consequences of that are unthinkable.