Sarah Champion MP Welcomes Law Commission Call to End Hate Hierarchy
Sarah Champion, Member of Parliament for Rotherham, has welcomed the Law Commission recommendations to reform Hate Crime legislation to ensure disabled and LGBT+ victims receive the same legal protections as victims with other protected characteristics, such as race and religion.
Commenting, Sarah said:
“The current hierarchy of hate legislation has denied justice to thousands of disabled and LGBT+ people. It is vital that these recommendations are rapidly implemented, and do not sit gathering dust on a Ministers shelf.”
It is estimated that there were as many as 70,000 incidents which could potentially be defined as disability hate crimes, yet last year only 7,300 such incidents were reported, of which only 1 in 63 cases resulted in a charge. Commenting, Sarah said:
“The failure of the law to treat discrimination against the disabled and LGBT+ people equally has resulted in a dramatic underreporting of offences, and left police and the courts hampered in taking up cases.
“The Government must take on the Law Commission recommendations in full so we can be confident that we are truly all equal under the law.”
The Law Commission also recommended the Government consider introducing new offences to tackle public sexual harassment and provide greater protection for women and girls. Commenting, Sarah said:
“We need rapid action to create a specific offense of public sexual harassment. Women and girls have had to wait too long, allowing perpetrators to act with near impunity, frequently leading to escalations in their offending. Alongside this, we must also see the Government roll out the relationship education in all primary schools they have so long promised, yet failed to deliver. Barely 20% of schools have received the training they should have now had on this.”
ENDS
Notes to Editors:
The Law Commission, Reforms to protect disabled and LGBT+ victims, criminalise extremist misogynist “incel” hate material, and safeguard free speech, 7 December 2021: https://www.lawcom.gov.uk/reforms-to-protect-disabled-and-lgbt-victims-criminalise-extremist-misogynist-incel-hate-material-and-safeguard-free-speech/
Reports of violent disability hate crime continue to rise as number of police charges fall again: https://www.leonardcheshire.org/about-us/our-news/press-releases/reports-violent-disability-hate-crime-continue-rise-number-police
Sarah Champion, Current hate crime legislation is failing LGBT and disabled people – we need to make a change now, Metro, 14 September 2018: https://metro.co.uk/2018/09/14/current-hate-crime-legislation-is-failing-lgbt-and-disabled-people-we-need-to-make-a-change-now-7939828/
Children and Young People Now, No relationship and sex education training in four out of five schools, Minister admits, 23 September 2021 https://www.cypnow.co.uk/news/article/no-relationships-and-sex-education-training-in-four-out-of-five-schools-minister-admits?fbclid=IwAR3zPmzyHcPBerk6bBJr2KMhiQW0DSpDBaPwdbqA3nj2Xwx-SBa-11Q25WQ (Sarah’s question to Ministers, Relationship education training, 20 September 2021: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2021-09-15/50037)