Police forces are being urged to make misogyny a hate crime

POLICE forces are being urged to make misogyny a hate crime by campaigners. They are calling today for the mistreatment of women through abuse and harassment to be recorded by officers.

Movements ranging from #MeToo and #TimesUp have shed a light on the need to tackle the problems they face as it is feared the offences can create “a culture of impunity in society, leading to more severe crimes”.

Gwent Police has already spearheaded a drive to tackle the issue head-on by launching an online survey for the whole of Wales to have its say on whether or not sexual harassment should be treated as a hate crime.

Representatives from the Hate Crime Criminal Justice Board Cymru, which includes police officers, won Welsh Government funding towards the move as they delve deeper into the problem.

People will be able to have their say through the survey on how police forces should deal with the problem. It is being run online until July 23.

It comes in the wake of Nottinghamshire Police’s decision to classify misogyny as a hate crime in 2016 – based on the levels of male to female sexual harassment in their area and after hearing how victims of hate crime had to totally transform their lifestyle to avoid being targeted again. Other forces have also looked again at their strategy.

Now campaign groups across England and Wales want other forces to fall in line with Nottinghamshire Police in the way they expand the scope of hate crime offending to ensure misogyny is prioritised.

Gwent Police’s Assistant Chief Constable Rhiannon Kirk previously said: “We are determined to challenge and change the culture of misogyny and sexual harassment wherever they arise, in order for women to feel safe in their community and to have the freedom to make life choices without fear of sexual harassment.

“We want people to be able to access every area of society with confidence, including sport, public transport and the night-time economy, as well as other aspects of their lives.

“I would encourage everyone to take part in the survey, as part of a broader strategy to tackle violence against women and girls. We will use the findings to help shape how we address this serious issue moving forward, and treating it as a hate crime is among the options open to us.”

The survey was created on behalf of the Hate Crime Criminal Justice Board Cymru.

Meanwhile, an open letter, which has been co-signed by the Fawcett Society, civil society alliance Citizens UK, along with senior faith leaders and non-governmental organisations, are calling on the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) to vote to record misogyny as a hate crime nationwide at its forthcoming meeting on July 11.

Only a handful of forces are treating the issue seriously by applying a series of measures to tackle street harassment and unwanted physical approaches.

Helen Voce, from Nottingham Women’s Centre, said: “We believe misogyny is the ‘soil’ in which violence against women and girls grows.

“The same attitudes at the root of sexism and harassment are the same attitudes that drive more serious domestic and sexual violence.

“Classifying misogyny as a hate crime enables the police to deal robustly with the root causes of violence against women.”

Sam Smethers, chief executive of the Fawcett Society, said: “Misogyny is so widespread it has become normalised in our society.

“As a result, women are routinely objectified and harassed. Unless we challenge it, this won’t change. We have to start calling misogyny out for what it is – a hate crime.”

Sarah Green, co-director of the End Violence Against Women Coalition, said: “If recording this abuse as a hate crime is to be rolled out across the UK, it is crucial that police work in partnership with the local community, including local women’s groups, from the start.

“And on a broader level, we need to talk about how we prevent this behaviour in the first place through schools work, and through having men and boys challenge each other about its acceptability.”

A National Police Chiefs’ Council spokesman said: “Police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland annually monitor five strands of hate crime.

“Police chiefs will be presented with a paper that asks them to consider the case for monitoring gender-based hate crime in the same way.”