London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 04, 2025

Public sexual harassment could become criminal offence in England and Wales

Public sexual harassment could become criminal offence in England and Wales

Law Commission expected to make proposal as part of its review into hate crime laws
A review of hate crime legislation is expected to ask the government to consider criminalising public sexual harassment after a years-long campaign by women’s rights organisations and lawyers.

The Law Commission, the body that recommends legal changes, will make the proposal as part of its review into the law in relation to hate crime, which was ordered three years ago by the then-home secretary, Sajid Javid, and is expected to be released next week.

A new offence of public sexual harassment could be introduced,but misogyny was not likely to be made a hate crime because of concerns it would be ineffective, a Whitehall source told the Daily Telegraph.

Making lewd comments, pressing against someone in a sexual way on public transport, cornering someone, catcalling and persistent sexual propositioning could all be covered by the changes to the law if they are brought in.

Those campaigning for a change in the law welcomed the news. “The principle behind what I drafted is about the fundamental right that women and girls have equal access to public spaces,” said Dexter Dias, a human rights lawyer who has been working for the last three years to draft a bill to criminalise street sexual harassment with the youth-led campaign group Our Streets Now and the barrister Dr Charlotte Proudman.

“This is about sexual offences and intrusion and is about the rights of women and girls to have full access to civil society and public spaces,” he said.

It appeared the Law Commission would define public sexual harassment as harassment that was sexual, had the intent to degrade or humiliate, and that took place in public.

While working on the draft bill, Dias said his teenage daughters had told him people would not care about girls being harassed in the street because it happens all the time. They told him they experienced unwanted sexual conduct virtually every week on the way to and from school and the shops.

“I didn’t know that it had become so normalised and that it’s become regarded as a normal part of the experience of being a young woman in Britain today,” he said. “That is morally wrong. We’re going to make it a criminal offence and change this now.”

The co-founder of Our Streets Now, Maya Tutton, told LBC radio that the girls the organisation worked with also thought sexual harassment was normal.

“We in society have told them that is normal because we have not drawn a line in the sand, and we have not introduced legislation and I think that’s what this law is really about,” she said.

“We need to, as a country and as a society, stand up and say, no more and that this behaviour is illegal, it will be prosecuted and we will not continue to allow it and this horrendous behaviour to be the way in which girls grow up in this country.”

Proudman said on Twitter it was the “best news” and signalled a big step forward for the campaign. “Years of work worth every second. This will protect so many girls & women.”

She said it would have to be in the public interest to prosecute. “It could be someone shouting degrading, humiliating comments with lewd language to a woman walking down the street that makes them feel unsafe,” she said.

The issue of crimes against women has come under fierce scrutiny since Sarah Everard’s kidnap, rape and murder by the serving Metropolitan police officer Wayne Couzens.

The home secretary, Priti Patel, vowed to tackle violence against women and girls earlier in the year.

In a strategy document published by the Home Office in July, she said: “We are looking carefully at where there may be gaps in existing law and how a specific offence for public sexual harassment could address those.”

Indecent exposure was made a sexual crime almost 20 years ago, although as the case of Couzens underlined, such incidents, even when reported to the police, are often not taken seriously.

It was reported in October that Boris Johnson was against plans to bring in new laws claiming there was abundant existing legislation. This caused disquiet throughout the Home Office.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “The government asked the Law Commission to conduct a wide-ranging review into hate crime to explore how to make current legislation more effective, and if additional protected characteristics should be added to the hate crime legislation.”

They said they would respond to the Law Commission recommendations once they have been published.

The Law Commission has also been approached for a comment.
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Putin Celebrates ‘Unprecedentedly High’ Ties with China as Gazprom Seals Power of Siberia-2 Deal
China Unveils New Weapons in Grand Military Parade as Xi Hosts Putin and Kim
Queen Camilla’s Teenage Courage: Fended Off Attempted Assault on London Train, New Biography Reveals
Scottish Brothers Set Record in Historic Pacific Row
Rapper Cardi B Cleared of Liability in Los Angeles Civil Assault Trial
Google Avoids Break-Up in U.S. Antitrust Case as Stocks Rise
Couple celebrates 80th wedding anniversary at assisted living facility in Lancaster
Information Warfare in the Age of AI: How Language Models Become Targets and Tools
The White House on LinkedIn Has Changed Their Profile Picture to Donald Trump
"Insulted the Prophet Muhammad": Woman Burned Alive by Angry Mob in Niger State, Nigeria
Trump Responds to Death Rumors – Announces 'Missile City'
Court of Appeal Allows Asylum Seekers to Remain at Essex Hotel Amid Local Tax Boycott Threats
Germany in Turmoil: Ukrainian Teenage Girl Pushed to Death by Illegal Iraqi Migrant
United Krack down on human rights: Graham Linehan Arrested at Heathrow Over Three X Posts, Hospitalised, Released on Bail with Posting Ban
Asian and Middle Eastern Investors Avoid US Markets
Ray Dalio Warns of US Shift to Autocracy
Eurozone Inflation Rises to 2.1% in August
Russia and China Sign New Gas Pipeline Deal
China's Robotics Industry Fuels Export Surge
Suntory Chairman Resigns After Police Probe
Gold Price Hits New All-Time Record
Von der Leyen's Plane Hit by Suspected Russian GPS Interference in an Incident Believed to Be Caused by Russia or by Pro-Peace or by Anti-Corruption European Activists
UK Fintechs Explore Buying US Banks
Greece Suspends 5% of Schools as Birth Rate Drops
Apollo to Launch $5 Billion Sports Investment Vehicle
Bolsonaro Trial Nears Close Amid US-Brazil Tension
European Banks Push for Lower Cross-Border Barriers
Poland's Offshore Wind Sector Attracts Investors
Nvidia Reveals: Two Mystery Customers Account for About 40% of Revenue
Woody Allen: "I Would Be Happy to Direct Trump Again in a Film"
Pickles are the latest craze among Generation Z in the United States.
Deadline Day Delivers Record £125m Isak Move and Donnarumma to City
Nestlé Removes CEO Laurent Freixe Following Undisclosed Relationship with Subordinate
Giuliani Seriously Injured in Accident – Trump to Award Him the Presidential Medal of Freedom
EU is getting aggressive: Four AfD Candidates Die Unexpectedly Ahead of North Rhine-Westphalia Local Elections
Lula and Putin Hold Strategic BRICS Discussions Ahead of Trump–Putin Summit
WhatsApp is rolling out a feature that looks a lot like Telegram.
Investigations Reveal Rise in ‘Sex-for-Rent’ Listings Across Canada Exploiting Vulnerable Tenants
Chinese and Indian Leaders Pursue Amity Amid Global Shifts
European Union Plans for Ukraine Deployment
ECB Warns Against Inflation Complacency
Concerns Over North Cyprus Casino Development
Shipping Companies Look Beyond Chinese Finance
Rural Exodus Fueling European Wildfires
China Hosts Major Security Meeting
Chinese Police Successfully Recover Family's Savings from Livestream Purchases
Germany Marks a Decade Since Migrant Wave with Divisions, Success Stories, and Political Shifts
Liverpool Defeat Arsenal 1–0 with Szoboszlai Free-Kick to Stay Top of Premier League
Prince Harry and King Charles to Meet in First Reunion After 20 Months
Chinese Stock Market Rally Fueled by Domestic Investors
×