Street harassment of women could be made an offence

MEN who abuse, intimidate or deliberately follow women in public could face a new offence of street harassment under plans to be considered by MPs.

Greg Clark, the former Cabinet minister, is presenting a private member’s Bill to the Commons in December that could be used by the Government to put the new offence on the statute book, with those convicted of it facing up to two years in jail.

Mr Clark, a former levelling up secretary, said: “Over the years I have met with many girls and women in my constituency who have had to put up with harassment on the streets – from being deliberately followed and intimidated in walking through the streets at night to having explicit, abusive comments directed at them.

“Girls and women should not have to put up with that, but too often they do. There is currently no offence of sexual harassment in public places, whereas sexual harassment in the workplace is specifically prohibited, and other types of harassment, such as harassment in public on racial grounds or because of someone’s disability, are – rightly – specified as being especially serious.”

“My Bill will close the gap by specifying an offence of deliberate harassment in public places based on someone’s sex.” It follows a government consultation, which set out two options for a new offence but without saying if it would go ahead with such plans.

Both carried a maximum of two years in jail – with one listing the types of behaviour, including following someone, making an obscene or aggressive comment or gesture, “cornering” someone or driving a car slowly by someone walking in the street.

Whether it goes ahead will depend on the outcome of the review – and who is the next prime minister.

Liz Truss backed a new offence during the Tory leadership contest.

But Boris Johnson has argued that current public order and harassment laws properly enforced by police can be used to prosecute street sexual harassment such as wolf-whistling, catcalling and other abuse.

It is not known where Rishi Sunak or Penny Mourdant stand on the issue although Mr Sunak advocated a new offence of downblousing as part of his proposals to tackle violence against women.

Other advocates for a new offence include Nimco Ali, the feminist campaigner who was the Home Office’s adviser on tackling violence against women, and, it is believed, the former home secretary Priti Patel.