MPs back plans to make street sexual harassment like catcalling illegal
Plans to jail someone for up to two years for catcalling, following someone or blocking their path on the street were approved by MPs today.
Publicly harassing someone on the basis of their sex is set to become a specific crime after a bill received an unopposed third reading in the Commons.
Former Tory minister Greg Clark, who put forward the changes, said it was a "historic day" and "astonishing" that the law does not already contain such an offence.
The Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill will now be scrutinised in the House of Lords before it becomes law.
Public sexual harassment is already illegal however the bill creates a special offence that applies to actions that are carried out because of the sex of the victim.
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Tory MP Greg Clark put forward the changes in a Private Member's Bill (Getty Images)The bill would also introduce harsher punishments for perpetrators, raising the maximum time behind bars from six months to two years.
Mr Clark also secured support for a new clause to the Bill requiring the Government to issue advice to police on how to deal with the new specific offence.
During the debate on the Bill, Mr Clark told the Commons: "If the House decides to give this Bill a third reading today it will be an historic day.
"For the first time in our history, deliberately harassing, following, shouting degrading words at, making obscene gestures at women and girls in public places - and yes, on occasion men and boys in public places - because of their sex, with the deliberate intention to cause them alarm or distress, will be a specific offence, and a serious one at that.
"The astonishing thing is that it hasn't been so until now."
Labour MP Stella Creasy said: "Misogyny is driving crimes against women and girls. A very simple statement, but a very clear recognition in this legislation for the first time ever that women are being targeted simply because they are women.
Labour MP Stella Creasy said 'misogyny is driving crimes against women and girls'"At the moment in our society it is women who are paying the price for our failure to understand how misogyny has driven crimes against them and to recognise that within the law.
"By passing this legislation we are sending a powerful message to our young men that they do deserve better than that caricature of boys will be boys."
Labour shadow women and equalities secretary Anneliese Dodds said "we haven't seen enough progress" on addressing issues of women's safety, but added: "This Bill will be positive for everyone."
Home Office minister Chris Philp confirmed the Government's backing for the Bill, and said he wanted to see guidance issued to police on the new offence "as soon as possible".
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He told MPs: "It is important that this is only one part of a wider piece of work to protect women and girls in particular.
"The defendant for this offence could be a man or a woman, and indeed the victim could be a man or a woman, because as we've said, this legislation makes no distinction between men or women."
Home Secretary Suella Braverman said: “Women have the fundamental right to walk the streets without fear and I’m committed to ensuring that criminals who intimidate and harass them face the consequences.
“This is why we are backing the Protection from Sex-Based Harassment in Public Bill, and after carefully considering a range of views, we have supported an amendment that will require the government to produce statutory guidance for the police to help them enforce the new offence.”
The Crown Prosecution Service updated its guidance on sexual harassment on streets after the murder of Sarah Everard, who was abducted and killed by serving policeman Wayne Couzens while walking home.
Six months later, primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, 28, was murdered in south London by a man she had never met.
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