Tory former minister Greg Clark has called on Parliament to close a “loophole” that leaves women feeling unsafe on Britain’s streets. The ex-Business Secretary described how girls grip keys in their hands when walking alone at night because of concerns about public sexual harassment (PSH).
This includes being shouted at, followed, receiving obscene gestures or being touched by a stranger.
Mr Clark, who put forward the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill, said: “For many years it has been a specific criminal offence to deliberately harass someone on the grounds of their race or sexuality or disability with the intention of causing them alarm or distress.
“Astonishingly, there is no specific law against doing it to women – or in rarer cases, men – because of their sex. My Private Member’s Bill will close this loophole and make the law consistent.”
The Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Bill received an unopposed third reading in the Commons last week and will now progress to the House of Lords.
The Daily Express has backed calls for PSH to be a specific criminal offence through the Keep Women Safe On Our Streets campaign.
Children’s charity Plan UK and campaigners Our Streets Now partnered with the Express to demand a law change.
Research found 75 percent of girls – some as young as 12 – have experienced some form of PSH in their lifetime.
At least eight in 10 parents worry their daughter will experience PSH while 94 percent of girls think harassment should be illegal.
Kathleen Spencer-Chapman, of Plan UK, and Our Streets Now co-founder Gemma Tutton, said the Bill still places a burden on victims of public sexual harassment to prove that the perpetrator intended to cause distress or harm.
They said: “The legislation must also be strengthened by closing the loopholes that would leave victims of PSH unclear about what behaviour they can and can’t challenge through the criminal justice system.
“We await further information on what will be included in the guidance, but it is imperative that actions of public sexual harassment are specifically recognised in the law.
“It remains the case that the Bill as it stands simply aggravates existing offences of harassment in public, rather than explicitly making PSH a crime.
“We are at a key juncture in finally having a law to protect and seek justice for women, girls, and people of marginalised genders, but it is crucial we get this right.
“That is why we will be urging the House of Lords to ensure that PSHt is directly addressed by the Bill as it progresses.”
