It has emerged that misogyny will now be recorded as a hate crime by police. This government concession comes in the light of the death of Sarah Everard. It has emerged that police forces will be ordered to record and identify any crimes where the victim believed it to have been motivated by ‘hostility based on their sex’ as a hate crime.
Baroness Williams of Trafford, who has previously worked in the Home Office, has stated that this will be done on an ‘experimental basis’ from the autumn. Prior to this announcement, the Prime minister Boris Johnson called for a change in cultural attitudes towards women’s safety.
The Fawcett Society’s chief executive Felicia Willow has reacted to this news by saying: ‘We are delighted that this Government has accepted that misogyny should be treated as a hate crime. Fawcett’s campaign showed there was overwhelming public support for this. It’s essential that women have the confidence to report crimes and that they are taken seriously when they do. This is a major step forward in changing how we understand, address and prevent violence against women – and one that we hope will help change attitudes towards women’.
UNN’s Oliver Down has learnt that the WalkSafe app has become the number one free app on Apple’s store in the wake of Sarah Everard’s death. The app includes a map of previously reported incidents nearby that makes users aware of any ‘danger zones’.
Current Affairs Correspondent | My name is Oliver Down I am 22, and a staunch brexiteer. I am a Bristolian lad who studied politics in Leicester. I believe in free speech and accurate journalism and I won’t be afraid to give you “the other side” of the story!
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