How hostility to men could become a hate crime

“Hate crime goes directly against the long-standing British values of unity, tolerance and mutual respect,” Home Secretary Sajid Javid recently declared. “I am committed to stamping this sickening behaviour out.”

Soon, part of this effort could involve expanding the definition of what a hate crime fundamentally is.

It is currently defined as an act of violence or hostility motivated by prejudice based on one of five things: disability, race, religion, transgender identity and sexual orientation. Crimes themselves can take many forms, from verbal abuse to physical attacks.

However, a review by the Law Commission is considering whether more categories should be added, including misogyny, ageism, and most controversially, hatred of men (otherwise known as misandry).

Some women’s rights campaigners have long argued for defining misogyny as a hate crime. MP Stella Creasy laments the fact that “if someone targets people on the basis of their race or their religion they can receive a tougher sentence for their behaviour [but] someone who repeatedly targets women faces no such sanction.”

And while such a change to the law is being considered, the government’s decision to consider hatred of men too, surprised many.

“When we talk about misogyny, we are talking about the global societal issue of the life-threatening prejudice, hatred, harm, oppression, rape, marginalisation and harassment of women and girls purely based on their gender,” writes The Guardian’s Jessica Eaton. “Misandry, on the other hand, seems to be anything a woman says or does that any man doesn’t like.”

What the government will decide remains to be seen. “It may well be that particular strand (misandry) is not necessary to take forward,” stated Baroness Williams. But she insisted the government is only responding to what “the public and other organisations are telling us”.

For some people, then, hostility to men is worthy of the hate crime label.

Are they right?

Hu-Man rights

Absolutely not, some argue. From sexual assault to domestic violence, women are the majority of victims. It is women who systematically earn less than men, and it is women who often cannot walk down the street without fear of harassment. If the definition of a hate crime is expanded, it must focus on misogyny. Men simply do not face equivalent problems.

Hold on, others respond. There is a question of fairness here. If it is possible to discriminate against women on the basis of gender, the same holds for men. Incidents like this may be less frequent, but the law should be able to punish these offences when they occur. We must send a message that prejudice of all kinds — against men and women — is not acceptable.