There are no plans to classify misogyny as a hate crime.<\/p>
The Law Commission has been clear that making misogyny a hate crime could make the prosecution of sexual offences more difficult and hinder efforts to tackle hate crime more broadly. Rape Crisis, the largest sexual violence support organisation in England and Wales, has also been clear that it does not support adding sex/gender to hate crime legislation.<\/p>
Alternative options to criminalise misogyny were also found to have little material impact and would not address the most harmful crimes affecting women and girls.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4668", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachel Maclean"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Redditch"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rachel Maclean"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2022-02-25", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2022-02-25T15:39:10.36Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2022-02-21", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Hate Crime: Females"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will bring forward legislative proposals to classify misogyny as a hate crime.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4471", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachael Maskell"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "York Central"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Rachael Maskell"} ], "uin" : "126728"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1386291", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1386291/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Law Commission\u2019s review of hate crime laws was commissioned by the Government in 2018. This review examined the coverage and approach of existing hate crime legislation, including consideration of whether other protective characteristics, such as sex and age, should be included. The Law Commission published its final recommendations on 7 December.<\/p>
We are grateful to the Law Commission for the detailed consideration it has given to its review.<\/p>
The Government will consider its proposals carefully and respond to the recommendations in due course.<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4668", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Rachel Maclean"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Redditch"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Rachel Maclean"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-12-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-12-15T16:33:01.313Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Home Office"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-12-08", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Hate Crime: Females"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has plans to classify attacks based on incel misogyny as hate crimes triggering longer sentences.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4682", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Luke Pollard"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Luke Pollard"} ], "uin" : "89670"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1331199", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1331199/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The government is committed to tackling misogyny, homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, including the spread of such content online. On 12 May 2021, we published the draft Online Safety Bill, which sets out new expectations on companies to keep their users safe online. Under a new legal duty of care, in-scope companies, including social media, will need to tackle misogynistic, homophobic, biphobic and transphobic content and activity that is illegal, if it is on their services.<\/p>
In addition, companies with the largest audiences and with high-risk features will need to assess the risk to adults of legal but harmful content on their services. They must also set clear terms and conditions stating what legal but harmful material they accept (and do not accept) on their service. Companies will have to do this for both priority harms which the government will set out in secondary legislation and for any emerging harms they identify in their risk assessments.<\/p>
These duties will apply to misogynistic, homophobic, biphobic and transphobic hate speech, which do not meet the threshold of a criminal offence. Companies will need to enforce their terms and conditions consistently and transparently, and could face enforcement action if they do not. All companies in scope will be required to have effective and accessible user reporting and redress mechanisms.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4008", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Dame Caroline Dinenage"} } , "answeringMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Gosport"} , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Caroline Dinenage"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2021-06-15", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "groupedQuestionUIN" : {"_value" : "13177"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2021-06-15T15:24:35.277Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "10"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Digital, Culture, Media and Sport"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2021-06-09", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Hate Crime: Females"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "1"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25259", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Commons"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to tackle online misogyny.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4131", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Jim Shannon"} } , "tablingMemberConstituency" : {"_value" : "Strangford"} , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Jim Shannon"} ], "uin" : "13064"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1273886", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Home Office"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1273886/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
As part of the Hate Crime Action Plan Refresh in October 2018, we asked the Law Commission to conduct a review into the coverage and approach of hate crime legislation, including consideration of whether other protective characteristics, such as gender and age, should be included. We will respond to the review when it is complete.<\/p>
Addressing Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) remains a key priority of this Government. We will be publishing a new Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy in the Spring which will help to better target perpetrators and support victims of these crimes. To inform the new strategy, we launched a Call for Evidence on 10 December, inviting responses from the public, organisations that provide support to victims and survivors, frontline professionals, and academics.<\/p>