02/10/2020
The Guardian reports that two women, who last year were in a samesex relationship and assaulted by a group of heterosexual males on a London nightbus, have joined forces with a wide variety of groups to ask the government to make misogyny a specific hate crime. Melania Geymonat and Chris were last year in a relationship, and when they refused to kiss each other for the sexual gratification of a group of heterosexual youths on the bus, were punched, assaulted and robbed in a vicious attack. Now, they have backed campaigns by some MPs and religious leaders to see misogyny a specific hate crime, alongside racism. A new study from Citizens UK, based on findings from more than 1,000 respondents in England and Wales and focus groups in Birmingham, Cardiff, Newcastle, Manchester and London, showed that 45% of women had been threatened with sexual violence, compared with 16% of men, while 43% of women had suffered a sexual assault, compared with 12% of men. The Metropolitan Police say that they are now arresting some one hundred heterosexual men every day in London for offences related to domesic violence. The rate of offending is estimated to have increased by around a quarter during the lockdown imposed in March due to Covid19. This has added to the calls for new legislation.
