Campaign to make misogyny a hate crime

Together with Belfast City Council and Ards and North Down Borough Council it has voted on a motion by the Raise Your Voice Project to consider misogyny as a hate crime.

Karen Sweeney from the Women’s Support Network and Raise Your Voice said: “We would like to pay tribute to Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council for recognising misogyny as an issue that affects the lives of women, girls and non-binary people across Northern Ireland. They are leading the way for safer communities. We will be urging other councils to support our campaign to make misogyny a hate crime.”

The full motion taken by Councillor Simon Lee to the council for consideration stated: “This Council recognises the impact of misogyny and transmisogyny on those affected by it, as well as the role these attitudes play in a variety of crimes, including harassment, assault, sexual assault and hate crimes, and on the career choices and personal lives of women, girls and non-binary people. The Council supports the inclusion of misogyny as a standalone offence and as a category of hate crime, recognising crimes targeted at women including transwomen as hate crimes based on misogyny, and will write a letter to that effect to Judge Desmond Marrinan as part of his ongoing review of hate crime legislation in Northern Ireland. The Council supports also the Raise Your Voice Project, which tackles sexual harassment and sexual violence across Northern Ireland by placing posters in all Council properties to raise awareness of the project.”