Men who sexually harass women on the street or on public transport will face two years in jail under a new offence to be backed by the Government.
The Home Office announced on Thursday night that it will support proposals to amend the 1986 Public Order Act to create a new offence of “public sexual harassment” following a public consultation.
It would outlaw behaviours such as following someone, making an obscene or aggressive comment or gesture, “cornering” someone, driving a car slowly by someone walking in the street and potentially wolf whistling and catcalling.
The proposal had been opposed by Boris Johnson who argued that existing public order and harassment laws, if properly enforced by police, could be used to prosecute street sexual harassment such as wolf-whistling, catcalling and other abuse.
However the new offence was supported by Liz Truss during the Tory leadership race, Nimco Ali, the feminist campaigner and a former Home Office adviser on tackling violence against women, and Priti Patel, during her time as home secretary.
The consultation was launched after “shocking” findings by the Office for National Statistics that half of women aged 16 to 34 had been harassed in the previous 12 months and nearly four in 10 (38 per cent) had experienced catcalls, whistles, unwanted sexual comments and jokes. A quarter felt they had been followed.
‘Deterrent effect’
A government spokesman said: “We have closely considered the responses received, and consider that an offence of public sexual harassment should be introduced.
“We note the significant majority of respondents in favour of an offence, and the strong support given to some of the possible reasons in favour of one, such as the deterrent effect of a new law and its ability to raise awareness, and its ability to provide clarity to the law and encourage reporting.
“We also note the other arguments put forward, such as its ability to help drive cultural change.”
The Government is expected to back a Private Member’s Bill introducing the change.
Yvette Cooper MP, the shadow home secretary, said Labour would support the move.
“Labour has consistently pushed the Government to introduce this new offence to protect women and girls, so we welcome the announcement.
“Any action to tackle the epidemic of violence against women and girls is welcome, but the Government must now go further and faster.
“Labour has a plan to put rape and domestic abuse specialists in every police force in the country, introduce fast-track rape courts and a domestic abuse register, and overhaul police training so that every victim gets the best possible support.”
Good. I don’t know a single woman who wants, enjoys or welcomes that sort of interaction. Even if it isn’t enforced (it won’t be), it might prompt a cultural shift over time.
That’s great. Obviously nothing will come of it and as usual every creep and weirdo will get away with a slap on the wrist, but it’s the thought that counts.
When I see how many suspended sentences are handed out for violent crimes I’m dubious that anyone would actually see prison.
“what are you in for John?”
“burglary and car theft Paul, what about you?”
“I wolf whistled someone”
“Men who sexually harass women on the street or on public transport will face two years in jail under a new offence to be backed by the Government.
The Home Office announced on Thursday night that it will support proposals to amend the 1986 Public Order Act to create a new offence of “public sexual harassment” following a public consultation.
It would outlaw behaviours such as following someone, making an obscene or aggressive comment or gesture, “cornering” someone, driving a car slowly by someone walking in the street and potentially wolf whistling and catcalling.”
I’m not a fan of catcalling or any of this behaviour but it seems extreme and authoritarian to jail someone for saying something in public.
I mean the description above would suggest that I could be jailed for calling some MP a cunt. Would it apply to calling Prince Andrew a pedophile?
Also not a fan of laws that have unnecessary demographics. I don’t care if 99% of people doing the crime are male and victims are female, I don’t think it’s right to let 1% of people off because of a technicality.
Yet you give someone who mowed down and killed a motorcyclist a suspended sentence
So is this going to include all of the overly zealous people raising money for charity or trying to get me to swap broadband providers?
Interested in the details – ‘Harassment’ requires a course of conduct (S1 Harassment Act) so one instance dose not qualify.
From this new offence title, this will mean that it a man follows a women up the road cat calling and whistling etc, this would not legally be harassment in the first instance. Are they suggesting it has to happen on multiple occasions to qualify?
Also, what is the burden of proof?
Illegal to strike, Illegal to protest, Illegal to say the wrong thing online. Were going down a slippery slope
Conflicted. Nobody should be harassed, on the street or anywhere else. But how do you police “staring persistently “? Sounds like it will be he said / she said.
the article is a little confusing says people then only talks about protracting women. i hope that unlike the rape law it is gender neutral in wording
This is obviously just so politicians and other elites can’t be cornered and asked difficult questions by protestors and people they’ve fucked over, no way will this benefit the common person on the street.
In other words, try to chat to a girl out of your league and you go to prison for 2 years
Well, this is a good way to overcrowd the already overcrowded prisons, so methinks that only a tiny percentage of these will actually go to prison. Not to mention the backlogs in the court system, and the strikes…they’ll probably die of old age before they get a sentence.
Last year campaign on a Tube about sexual harassment was pretty successful, now will it turn into some convictions?
It’s all very well saying it, but we live in a country that regularly fails to give killers and nonces proper sentences. Does anyone truly believe this will actually result in prison time for many offenders?
No it won’t lol
We don’t have police, courts, or prison capacity for that
This seems like a ridiculous overreaction in my view.
Given the difficulty in enforcing this law, my guess is that the point is to appease noisy feminist activists.
My missus and 14 year old kid got attacked by a van driver the other day, police weren’t arsed said it was her fault for not using her indicator. But don’t dare talking to anyone in the street. What a joke
No it won’t. On the day someone spends two years in prison for this offence, I will cut my dick off with a hacksaw on Facebook Live. Hold me to it.
Why stop there.
Why not just make it harassment in general. Throw anyone who willingly harasses anyone into enforced labour
2 years for whistling hahaha
We really are the joke of the world
This is BS When the high court hand out an 8month suspended sentence for driving up the wrong side of the road and killing a innocent person , then doing a runner to the USA
Our Government talk nothing but BS .
Considering the amount of times this has happened since I was 12 years old, I’m glad it is now noticed. But…it feels llr false promises again since rape and abuse sufferers still get fuck all help really.
Theft is seven years. Doesn’t mean you’ll get it. I know shoplifters who have 100 plus convictions and they’ve NEVER been handed a single sentence anywhere near seven years.
27 comments
[Archive Link](https://archive.vn/2oOAp). Article text follows.
—
By Charles Hymas, Home Affiars Editor
8 December 2022 • 9:47pm
Men who sexually harass women on the street or on public transport will face two years in jail under a new offence to be backed by the Government.
The Home Office announced on Thursday night that it will support proposals to amend the 1986 Public Order Act to create a new offence of “public sexual harassment” following a public consultation.
It would outlaw behaviours such as following someone, making an obscene or aggressive comment or gesture, “cornering” someone, driving a car slowly by someone walking in the street and potentially wolf whistling and catcalling.
The proposal had been opposed by Boris Johnson who argued that existing public order and harassment laws, if properly enforced by police, could be used to prosecute street sexual harassment such as wolf-whistling, catcalling and other abuse.
However the new offence was supported by Liz Truss during the Tory leadership race, Nimco Ali, the feminist campaigner and a former Home Office adviser on tackling violence against women, and Priti Patel, during her time as home secretary.
The consultation was launched after “shocking” findings by the Office for National Statistics that half of women aged 16 to 34 had been harassed in the previous 12 months and nearly four in 10 (38 per cent) had experienced catcalls, whistles, unwanted sexual comments and jokes. A quarter felt they had been followed.
‘Deterrent effect’
A government spokesman said: “We have closely considered the responses received, and consider that an offence of public sexual harassment should be introduced.
“We note the significant majority of respondents in favour of an offence, and the strong support given to some of the possible reasons in favour of one, such as the deterrent effect of a new law and its ability to raise awareness, and its ability to provide clarity to the law and encourage reporting.
“We also note the other arguments put forward, such as its ability to help drive cultural change.”
The Government is expected to back a Private Member’s Bill introducing the change.
Yvette Cooper MP, the shadow home secretary, said Labour would support the move.
“Labour has consistently pushed the Government to introduce this new offence to protect women and girls, so we welcome the announcement.
“Any action to tackle the epidemic of violence against women and girls is welcome, but the Government must now go further and faster.
“Labour has a plan to put rape and domestic abuse specialists in every police force in the country, introduce fast-track rape courts and a domestic abuse register, and overhaul police training so that every victim gets the best possible support.”
Good. I don’t know a single woman who wants, enjoys or welcomes that sort of interaction. Even if it isn’t enforced (it won’t be), it might prompt a cultural shift over time.
That’s great. Obviously nothing will come of it and as usual every creep and weirdo will get away with a slap on the wrist, but it’s the thought that counts.
When I see how many suspended sentences are handed out for violent crimes I’m dubious that anyone would actually see prison.
“what are you in for John?”
“burglary and car theft Paul, what about you?”
“I wolf whistled someone”
“Men who sexually harass women on the street or on public transport will face two years in jail under a new offence to be backed by the Government.
The Home Office announced on Thursday night that it will support proposals to amend the 1986 Public Order Act to create a new offence of “public sexual harassment” following a public consultation.
It would outlaw behaviours such as following someone, making an obscene or aggressive comment or gesture, “cornering” someone, driving a car slowly by someone walking in the street and potentially wolf whistling and catcalling.”
I’m not a fan of catcalling or any of this behaviour but it seems extreme and authoritarian to jail someone for saying something in public.
I mean the description above would suggest that I could be jailed for calling some MP a cunt. Would it apply to calling Prince Andrew a pedophile?
Also not a fan of laws that have unnecessary demographics. I don’t care if 99% of people doing the crime are male and victims are female, I don’t think it’s right to let 1% of people off because of a technicality.
Yet you give someone who mowed down and killed a motorcyclist a suspended sentence
So is this going to include all of the overly zealous people raising money for charity or trying to get me to swap broadband providers?
Interested in the details – ‘Harassment’ requires a course of conduct (S1 Harassment Act) so one instance dose not qualify.
From this new offence title, this will mean that it a man follows a women up the road cat calling and whistling etc, this would not legally be harassment in the first instance. Are they suggesting it has to happen on multiple occasions to qualify?
Also, what is the burden of proof?
Illegal to strike, Illegal to protest, Illegal to say the wrong thing online. Were going down a slippery slope
Conflicted. Nobody should be harassed, on the street or anywhere else. But how do you police “staring persistently “? Sounds like it will be he said / she said.
the article is a little confusing says people then only talks about protracting women. i hope that unlike the rape law it is gender neutral in wording
This is obviously just so politicians and other elites can’t be cornered and asked difficult questions by protestors and people they’ve fucked over, no way will this benefit the common person on the street.
In other words, try to chat to a girl out of your league and you go to prison for 2 years
Well, this is a good way to overcrowd the already overcrowded prisons, so methinks that only a tiny percentage of these will actually go to prison. Not to mention the backlogs in the court system, and the strikes…they’ll probably die of old age before they get a sentence.
Last year campaign on a Tube about sexual harassment was pretty successful, now will it turn into some convictions?
https://www.mylondon.news/news/zone-1-news/london-underground-posters-tube-warning-23455562
It’s all very well saying it, but we live in a country that regularly fails to give killers and nonces proper sentences. Does anyone truly believe this will actually result in prison time for many offenders?
No it won’t lol
We don’t have police, courts, or prison capacity for that
This seems like a ridiculous overreaction in my view.
Given the difficulty in enforcing this law, my guess is that the point is to appease noisy feminist activists.
My missus and 14 year old kid got attacked by a van driver the other day, police weren’t arsed said it was her fault for not using her indicator. But don’t dare talking to anyone in the street. What a joke
No it won’t. On the day someone spends two years in prison for this offence, I will cut my dick off with a hacksaw on Facebook Live. Hold me to it.
Why stop there.
Why not just make it harassment in general. Throw anyone who willingly harasses anyone into enforced labour
2 years for whistling hahaha
We really are the joke of the world
This is BS When the high court hand out an 8month suspended sentence for driving up the wrong side of the road and killing a innocent person , then doing a runner to the USA
Our Government talk nothing but BS .
Considering the amount of times this has happened since I was 12 years old, I’m glad it is now noticed. But…it feels llr false promises again since rape and abuse sufferers still get fuck all help really.
Theft is seven years. Doesn’t mean you’ll get it. I know shoplifters who have 100 plus convictions and they’ve NEVER been handed a single sentence anywhere near seven years.
The comments are a bit of a bonfire.
I think i’l stay away from this one