Nottinghamshire police to count wolf-whistling in street as a hate crime

[Tennis]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...ing-hate-crime

Uninvited sexual advances and unwanted verbal contact with a woman, including catcalling or wolf-whistling in the street, are to be recorded as a hate crimes in a new effort to tackle sexist abuse.

Nottinghamshire police has expanded its categories of hate crime to include misogynistic incidents, characterised as behaviour targeted towards a victim simply because they are a woman.

This means incidents ranging from street harassment to unwanted physical approaches can be reported to and investigated by the police, and support put in place for victims.

The force is the first in the country to adopt the separate misogyny hate crime category, and has provided specific training to selected officers in the past three months.

Commenting on the new procedures, introduced in partnership with Nottingham Women’s Centre, Ch Con Sue Fish said: “I’m delighted that we are leading the way towards tackling misogyny in all its forms.

“It’s a very important aspect of the overall hate crime work being conducted and one that will make Nottinghamshire a safer place for all women. What women face, often on a daily basis, is absolutely unacceptable and can be extremely distressing.”

Work on the change began in June 2014 after a research project, which led on to a conference at which women gave examples of harassment they had faced.


Fish encouraged anyone affected by misogynistic hate crime to contact police without hesitation. “The work we are doing with Nottingham Women’s Centre is so valuable and I am looking forward to continuing that work,” she added.

Melanie Jeffs, the manager at the centre, said: “We’re pleased to see Nottinghamshire police recognise the breadth of violence and intimidation that women experience on a daily basis in our communities.

“Understanding this as a hate crime will help people to see the seriousness of these incidents and hopefully encourage more women to come forward and report offences.”

You can't help but be pleased that the police are making progress in this field. There needs to be zero tolerance for hate crimes.

[Destump]

on the one hand, I understand that it makes women feel safer. on the other hand, it's yet another dagger in the heart of free speech...

[Deleted]

I thought gender-based threads weren't allowed on these forums.

[Powerogue]

Hate crime, seriously? If anything it's a like crime. There's no hating going on.

"characterised as behaviour targeted towards a victim simply because they are a woman."

If we're going that vague, literally anything I do with the intention of showing dating interest qualifies.

Also notable, because they are a woman. So we're being sexist again by excluding men from the criteria? If you found a woman ugly enough, I'm sure you could make me plenty uncomfortable doing the same things.

[Bushtuckrman]

Maybe they should worry about their increased stabbings instead of this stupid shit.

Britain... not even once.

[luc54]

I thought gender-based threads weren't allowed on these forums.

It doesn't matter to tennisace as women will be protected from these horrible bolded crimes:

unwanted or uninvited sexual advances, physical or verbal assault, unwanted or uninvited physical or verbal contact or engagement, and use of mobile phones to send unwanted or uninvited messages or take photographs without consent.

[Tennis]

I thought gender-based threads weren't allowed on these forums.

This is a thread on hate crimes. I'm not sure why that wouldn't be allowed.

[the game]

Hate crime, seriously? If anything it's a like crime. There's no hating going on.

*snipped*

Infracted for spam

[glowzone]

It's a bit rude and I understand why you'd consider it harassment..
But a HATE CRIME? What the hell? If someone is whistling at you I think the last thing on their mind is hatred.

Using the word hatecrime is just going to water down that word even further. Might aswell call it rape while you're at it.

[sheggaro]

Ridicilous.

Freedom of speech trumps perceived threats by harmless whistling.

[Deleted]

This is a thread on hate crimes. I'm not sure why that wouldn't be allowed.

It can be about "hate crimes" while it's also about one's gender. You've broken the forum rules again.

[Powerogue]

Maybe they should worry about their increased stabbings instead of this stupid shit.

Britain... not even once.

In the wrong hands, spoons can be a deadly weapon.

[Beazy]

Fake outrage gender threads created to provoke people arent allowed here Tennis. You know you will probably be prema banned soon. You need to go all out with a rape culture thread or something like "All Men are Rapist" threads. Go out with a bang before your perma ban. Give us a good laugh on your way out.

[SidFwuff]

literally anything I do with the intention of showing dating interest qualifies.

If it's unwanted? Yes. Pretty sure it's called sexual harassment.

The U.K isn't alone- it's the same here in Canada. Check Ontario for example: http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-prev...ual-harassment

In short, "showing dating interest" if you know she isn't interested in you is sexual harassment. If you don't know, and she says 'no, then you know. If it's clear she wouldn't be interested, asking a woman on a date the first time around is sexual harassment.


Take Dr. Said, here in Ottawa, who asked a colleague to dinner. When he asked a second time, she filed a sexual harassment claim and his career was ended by the province. (He filed a lawsuit against the University of Ottawa, who lost the case- not because the claim of sexual harassment wasn't valid, but for failing to follow procedure properly)

You can read about it here: http://news.nationalpost.com/full-co...rassment-claim

EDIT: Check out the following quote from my link to the Ontario Human Rights Commission:

Example: A tribunal found that while the most common understanding of sexual harassment is conduct such as making passes, soliciting sexual favours, sexual touching, etc., the definition of sexual harassment also includes conduct that denigrates a woman’s sexuality or vexatious conduct that is directed at a woman because of her sex.[17]

That includes (obviously) unwanted invitations for a date. That also includes misogynist talk, ideas, or behavior, in additionto anything that a woman may find vexatious (which means annoying) due to her sex.

[May90]

I'd like to see them try to prosecute this guy.

[Canpinter]

Oh no! Someone made me slightly uncomfortable send them to jail!

[Deletedaccount1]

The UK is probably the least free country in the first world.

[Hana Song]

The UK is probably the least free country in the first world.

You are joking?

[Tijuana]

https://www.theguardian.com/lifeands...ing-hate-crime



You can't help but be pleased that the police are making progress in this field. There needs to be zero tolerance for hate crimes.

Is that a real place? Is that like the twin cities of Robin Hood and Hobbits?

All jokes aside, I do find it sad that some countries don't have basic human rights, like free speech. We can loan you guns if you want to revolt. Trust us, that British army isn't that tough to beat.

[Deletedaccount1]

You are joking?

Nah, I've never been to a first world country with so many rules and regulations. California had a ton of dumb little laws but nothing like the UK.