Dear constituent, 

Thank you for contacting me about public sexual harassment.

I fully agree that a new law which makes street harassment a specific criminal offence needs to be introduced. Public sexual harassment is a crime, not a compliment and I believe we should do all we can to end this, and tackle violence against women and girls more broadly. Abuse, along with verbal and physical harassment, is a daily reality for women and girls on the streets of the UK.

As you may be aware, the Law Commission published its report on hate crime in December 2021 and as part of that it recommended a new specific offence to tackle public sexual harassment. Earlier this year, the Government announced it will launch a public consultation by summer on whether there should be a new offence of public sexual harassment, which I will be following closely.

However, I believe that there is so much more to do. In my view, we need root-and-branch reforms across the criminal justice sector. That is why I want to see a toughening of existing sentences for perpetrators of rape and stalking. I also strongly believe that misogyny should be made a hate crime, a proposal that the Government has rejected.

I am concerned that many of the solutions and responses from Government, and in the criminal justice system, have missed the mark. Tackling and preventing violence against women must be a national priority.

I assure you I will continue to do all I can to support reforms that ensure that women and girls, wherever they are and whatever they are doing, are safe.

Thank you once again for contacting me about this important issue.

Yours sincerely,

Peter Dowd MP