Government Responds to Call for Misogyny Hate Crime Reclassification

Northern students’ unions lead campaign urging legal change

A joint campaign led by student officers from Leeds, Liverpool and Newcastle students’ unions has prompted the UK Government to propose changes to legislation regarding misogyny. The campaign called for misogyny to be recognised as a hate crime, aiming to strengthen protections against abuse and violence motivated by gender.

Campaign background and government response

The petition, launched in December 2025 by Leeds University Union’s Union Affairs and Communications Officer Amara Relf, Liverpool Guild of Students Deputy President Holly Thompson, and Newcastle University Students’ Union Wellbeing and Communities Officer Lily Allan, gathered over 114,000 signatures. It called on the Government to:

• Recognise misogyny-motivated abuse and violence as a hate crime
• Strengthen laws addressing online abuse
• Invest in prevention through early education and intervention

After surpassing the 10,000-signature threshold, the Government responded by proposing an amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill. This amendment would extend aggravated offences under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to include sex as a protected characteristic. By April, the petition had reached 100,000 signatures and was under consideration for parliamentary debate.

Views from campaign leaders

Amara Relf welcomed the Government’s engagement but expressed concerns that the proposed changes do not sufficiently address prevention measures. She said the legislation focuses on harm that has already occurred rather than preventing misogynistic crimes.

Holly Thompson highlighted the online abuse the campaigners faced after launching the petition, noting that much of it came from anonymous sources. She said this underlined the need for stronger measures to tackle hate against women both online and offline. However, she also noted positive support from male allies during the campaign.

Lily Allan emphasised the importance of further action beyond the Government’s pledge. She pointed out that everyday abuses such as catcalling, groping and sexually suggestive comments remain largely unaddressed by current laws, which can discourage victims from reporting incidents. Allan called for continued efforts to tackle all forms of misogynistic behaviour.

Next steps

The three student officers officially submitted the petition to the Government at Downing Street on 11 June. They plan to continue collaborating to lobby for broader legal reforms and increased protections for women and girls.

The campaign aligns with recommendations from Labour’s 2021 green paper, Ending Violence Against Women and Girls, which supported making misogyny a hate crime and empowering judges to impose enhanced sentences when crimes are linked to the victim’s sex or gender.