Moves to make misogyny a hate crime welcome by the Mayor

18th January 2022

Pressure is growing to make misogyny a hate crime in England and Wales, a move welcomed as another step towards keeping women and girls safe, one of the key Mayoral pledges.

The Mayor of West Yorkshire, Tracy Brabin, praised the action by peers discussing the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, who voted against the Government’s plans.

The Bill now goes back to the Commons for MPs to have their say before returning once more to the House of Lords.

And the Mayor urged MPs to vote for misogyny to become a hate crime when they get the chance to do so.

“I, along with so many women across the country, have experienced the damaging impact of misogyny. That’s why, as the first female Metro Mayor, I made it a priority to ensure misogyny is recorded in West Yorkshire, and it has been since December.

“I believe we all have a duty to ensure we are doing all we can to protect women and girls and I would urge all Members of Parliament to consider the difference they can make in ensuring misogyny becomes a hate crime,” she said.

“I would urge them to vote and do the right thing which is exactly what the peers on the House of Lords have done. Those who seek to discriminate in this way should realise that they are potentially committing a hate crime.

“For too long, misogynistic comments in particular, have been normalised in society, often providing a platform for more serious offences. That has to stop and we can be part of that lasting change.

“I said I would honour my promise to women and girls when it came to their safety and this development forms part of that, along with my pledge within my Police and Crime Plan around the safety of women and girls.”

The West Yorkshire Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, Alison Lowe, also welcomed the latest stage.

“We know that a partnership approach with the Mayor’s Office and West Yorkshire Police had already enabled the latest development to hate crime recording in our county to happen, where misogyny and misandry incidents are now flagged” she said.

“But seeing the peers in the House of Lords make the right choice and vote for misogyny to become a hate crime is both significant and heartening.

“It was clear that the Government had no appetite to change the law which saw the lived experience of female victims of crime side-lined and ignored. I join the Mayor in urging MPs to support the Newlove Amendment when they have the chance to do so”.

“Women and girls have the right to feel safe and Tracy and I were determined to get misogyny recognised as a hate crime here in West Yorkshire and have made representations nationally to the government too.

“More needs to be done and is hopefully being done, as this encouraging development shows.