Labour's Stella Creasy in bid to make misogyny a hate crime

Labour MP Stella Creasy has launched a bid to make misogyny a hate crime for the first time.



The Walthamstow MP has tabled an amendment to the Voyeurism Bill asking MPs to vote on whether hatred of women should be treated as a factor in “upskirting” cases.

If it passes, the amendment would see courts take into account whether the perpetrator's attitude towards women was an aggravating factor when sentencing them for taking unwanted photos.

Ms Creasy said she hoped the legal first would help cement misogyny as a crime treated like other hate offences such as discrimination on grounds of race, disability, sexual orientation or religion.

“At the moment while you would be protected in your workplace from being targeted because of your sex characteristic, out on the street we don’t make that distinction," she told the Times.

The push from the prominent women's rights campaigner comes after Conservative MP Sir Chris Chope sparked fury by blocking a Private Members' Bill that would have specifically outlawed upskirting for the first time.

The move prompted ministers to step in and promise fresh legislation, which will be debated tomorrow.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Justice said: "We already have robust legislation that can be used to protect women from a range of crimes. We are determined to see the upskirting bill passed as soon as possible, to better protect victims and bring offenders to justice."