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“Every woman should feel safe to walk our streets without fear of harassment or violence,” Interior Secretary Suella Braverman said in a statement Friday. “And that’s why we’re supporting this bill to make public sexual harassment a specific crime.”
She said the matter was a “complex issue” but the government had “carefully considered the arguments.”
“We put the needs of victims at the heart of our decision, which will mean that the criminals who commit these acts face the consequences they deserve,” she said.
The bill was backed after the Home Office consulted experts during Parliament’s summer recess. The majority of respondents said they considered public sexual harassment to be a widespread problem and supported creating a specific offense “to make the laws surrounding public harassment clearer for both the public and the police,” the Home Office said.
The BBC quoted the bill’s sponsor, lawmaker Greg Clarke, as saying the law aims to “reinforce a culture shift that establishes that it is completely unacceptable to abuse women on the streets.”
If passed, it would prohibit actions including following someone home at night; make obscene or offensive comments or gestures towards any person; and obstructs one’s path. The ruling Conservative Party has a large majority in parliament, meaning the bill is likely to pass.
Several other European countries, including Belgium, France and Portugal, already criminalize verbal or public sexual harassment with spot fines and prison time.
But in Britain, it was the brutal killing of Sarah Everd last year by an off-duty Metropolitan Police officer in London that shocked the nation and helped galvanize calls for greater protection for women. According to the prosecution, the 48-year-old officer, Wayne Couzens, kidnapped, raped and strangled Everard, 33, after driving around London in a rental car to “prey” on a lone woman.
The killing shattered public trust in the police and highlighted the dangers women face alone or in public spaces. According to global opinion firm YouGov, in August 62 percent of Britons said the police do not take sexual harassment seriously enough.
Charlie Doyle, Assistant Chief Constable of Britain’s Transport Police, said: “We have always taken reports of sexual harassment extremely seriously, however I hope the proposed legislation will reinforce our clear message to offenders that it will not be tolerated.” Statement Friday.
“We know that all forms of sexual harassment are under-reported to the police and I hope this increased awareness will encourage more victims to come forward and tell us what has happened to them,” he said.
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