The MP for Bath, Wera Hobhouse, has called for misogyny to be made a hate crime during a debate to mark International Women’s Day.
During the debate, on 9th March, Mrs Hobhouse also said that disrespect and violence against women and girls is endemic across society.
She has called for a powerful signal to be sent and to start treating violence against women and girls with the severity it warrants.
The Bath MP said the signal should be relayed through misogyny becoming a hate crime during an intervention in the debate.
In Mrs Hobhouse’s speech, she went through statistics that show the endemic nature of misogyny.
Half of British women have been sexually harassed at work or at their place of study.
Women are 27 times more likely to face online abuse than men. Nearly a quarter of women have experienced sexual assault or attempted sexual assault since they were 16, and one in 14 women have experienced rape or attempted rape.
She then made the point that behind these statistics there are women, that these are lives and every story is a story of trauma and hurt.
Ms Hobhouse pointed out her own work in trying to create a culture change that would start the process of stamping out the acceptance of misogyny.
Her Bill to address sexual harassment in the workplace has passed through the Commons and will reach its Second Reading in the Lords later this month.
The MP also described the need for the police to reform their attitudes towards women and sexual offences committed against them.
She used Sarah Everard’s murderer and former police officer, Wayne Couzens to highlight this.
Couzens exposed himself to women just four days before Sarah’s murder. His victims have argued that, if their reports had been taken seriously by the police, Sarah may still be alive.
The first report of Operation Soteria Bluestone found that some serving officers do not think that sexual offences should be a priority for policing.
It quoted one officer who believed that cases of rape and sexual offences were “pink and fluffy”. That officer openly admitted to avoiding such cases in favour of burglary and robbery.
The new Metropolitan Police Commissioner has said that they are investigating 1,000 sexual and domestic abuse claims involving 100 of its officers. Mrs Hobhouse said this shows there are not just a few bad apples in the police but a “rotten culture of misogyny”.
Wera Hobhouse commented: “Making misogyny a hate crime is not gesture politics. It would send a powerful signal, a signal that all crimes against women and girls will be investigated properly and not just brushed away.
“Jess Phillips makes the most powerful speech during this debate every year. She makes every Member in the Chamber sit in silence for many minutes, reflecting on the terrible stories that we hear each year of women who suffer domestic abuse and violence.
“The list of women killed by men in the last year does not seem to get any shorter each time she reads it out. There has to be change and that change should start with misogyny becoming a hate crime.
“Avon and Somerset police have shown great leadership in this area with their dedicated and well-resourced team which tackles violence against women.
“They have tripled the charge rate for rape cases. A step in the right direction but other forces need to follow their lead. We still hear too many stories of vile behaviour in police forces nationwide.
“It is clear that these are not a few rotten apples but rotten cultures of misogyny. Reforming policing is a huge part of tackling this systemic problem.”
