THE SCOTTISH Government has launched a consultation on bringing in a string of new offences criminalising specific forms of hatred and prejudice against women and girls.
It follows recommendations made earlier this year in a report by the Misogyny and Criminal Justice in Scotland Working Group, chaired by Baroness Helena Kennedy.
The review was commissioned by ministers following criticism that the SNP administration’s controversial hate crime legislation did not explicitly offer protection for women and girls.
The peer recommended the creation of a new statutory aggravation to enable judges to consider misogyny as an aggravating factor when sentencing for other crimes such as assault, criminal damage or vandalism.
Baroness Kennedy also called for three new offences: stirring up hatred against women and girls; public misogynistic harassment; and issuing threats of rape, sexual assault or disfigurement of women and girls either online or offline.
Launching the consultation, Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans Keith Brown said: “The independent report rightly recognises the need to address misogyny and makes a compelling case for creating new laws to tackle this unacceptable conduct.
“The Scottish Government response outlines how we intend to make progress on the blueprint for legislation contained within the report by bringing forward a Bill to the Scottish Parliament.
“With such a substantial and significant report it will take time to work through the recommendations in discussion with key partners, but we are confident the resulting legislation will help send a clear message that male attitudes which emanate from prejudice and misogyny have no place in a modern and equal Scotland.”
Last year, MSPs defeated an attempt by Labour MSP Johann Lamont to amend the Hate Crime Bill, to add a sex aggravator to their alongside race, religion, disability, sexual orientation and transgender identity.
Instead, the then Justice Secretary Humza Yousaf urged his colleagues to give “the working group the time that it needs to explore the issue, come forward with recommendations and create, potentially, a world-leading approach.”
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