- Conference
- 2018 National Women's Conference
- Date
- 27 September 2017
- Decision
- Carried
Conference notes that Nottinghamshire Police, supported by Nottingham Women’s Centre made history in 2016 by becoming the first force in the country to recognise misogyny as a hate crime.
The additional category applies to a range of incidents reported to the police, from street harassment through to physical intrusions on women’s space. This is defined as – Incidents against women that are motivated by an attitude of a man towards a woman and includes behaviour targeted towards a woman by men simply because they are a woman.
Recognising and recording incidents of misogyny in this way means: an increased awareness of the seriousness of these incidences, women and girls are encouraged to make reports of misogyny and more serious offences , better intelligence is gathered to disrupt activities and identify perpetrators ,better risk management and support for women affected and a reduction in women’s fear of crime in public spaces which is frequently informed by their fear of sexual assault and connected in large part to experiences of so called minor street harassment.
Verbal and physical harassment of women and girls in public spaces are not just a bit of harmless fun. Misogyny impacts on the ability of women and girls to go out and live their lives and profoundly undermines their wellbeing and self-esteem
Recognition of misogyny as a hate crime supports our strong commitment to tackle violence against women and girls.
A successful event was held in the Northern Region that looked at practical ways the regions Women Network could work with organisation in relation to working towards misogyny being recognised as a hate crime.
It is imperative that it is recognised that minor sexist incidents set up a power imbalance, leading to normalised attitudes and behaviour towards women that make some of the more serious abuses seem more socially acceptable, ¾ of UNISONs membership are women and therefore it is right that this becomes a campaigning issue for us.
Conference call on the National Women’s committee to
• Work with the relevant structures within UNISON to support the principle that misogyny is recognised as a hate crime.
• Campaign to have misogyny recognised as a hate crime by all police forces across the country by encouraging Regions to work with MPs and Police and Crime Commissioners.
• Encourage Regions and Branches to hold events to discuss what practical support can be given to the campaign.