Call for anti-misogyny lessons in all schools

‘Warn boys they may face prosecution in later life’

SCHOOLBOYS should be given anti-misogyny lessons and warned they could be prosecuted for sexist offences in later life, Baroness Helena Kennedy has said.

The lawyer told MSPs that children should learn about the risk of committing sexist offences after the introduction of new legislation to criminalise misogyny.

Ministers have agreed to create offences for stirring up hatred against women and girls, misogynistic harassment in public and for threats of rape, sexual assault or disfigurement – in person or online – following Baroness Kennedy’s probe into the abuse.

She argued that pupils should be taught about misogyny but insisted she does not want to ‘criminalise boys’.

Asked about where investment would be needed once the separate laws come into force, she said ‘education and training’ was essential.

She told the criminal justice committee: ‘We do not want to criminalise boys when they’re still young for what we know is that strutting thing of wanting to be part of the gang and wanting approval and therefore being drawn into behaviours that could lead to you having a conviction, which has long-term consequences.

‘There are going to be circumstances where an older teenage boy is really behaving in disgraceful ways towards girls who are 11 and 12 who are still at school; speaking to them and showing them sexual material and stuff.

‘That is not just horrible, but also being abusive.’

Baroness Kennedy also said the introduction of new legislathe tion to criminalise misogyny should not be affected by the Scottish Government’s attempts to reform the Gender Recognition Act.

She argued that the implementation of new laws about misogyny should depend on the offence, as opposed to who victim is, and said she would not be ‘lifting people’s skirts to see what their genitalia is like’.

She said: ‘Nobody should have to prove that they are a woman in order to bring down this type of protection from abusive behaviour.’

Baroness Kennedy added: ‘I really do not think this piece of legislation I’m proposing has got anything to do with [the Gender Recognition Act].

‘You all as parliamentarians will make your decisions on transgender recognition and how that should be done.

‘My job was to deal with the fact that women are experiencing this stuff all the time.

‘Women have experienced this – we all have as women – and I’m sure that trans women will experience misogyny too.’

‘We don’t want to criminalise boys’