Sexist remarks and wolf-whistles could become criminal offences
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The UK will sign up to Council of Europe's convention on violence against women, which could mean criminalising unwanted verbal remarks
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Salacious whistles and sexist comments may fall foul of new laws against sexual harassment to which Britain is signing up.
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The pledge to criminalise "verbal, non-verbal or physical" sexual harassment is one of the commitments in the Council of Europe's convention on violence against women.
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Among the pledges in the convention, which has already been signed by 18 countries including Germany, France and Ukraine, is one to pass legislation or other measures to criminalise or impose other sanctions for:
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"Unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment".
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"Unwanted verbal, non-verbal or physical conduct of a sexual nature with the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of a person, in particular when creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment".
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Another clause would outlaw "psychological violence"
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Defined as "seriously impairing a person's psychological integrity through coercion or threats", language which suggests serious bullying could be covered by new laws.
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Defined as "seriously impairing a person's psychological integrity through coercion or threats", language which suggests serious bullying could be covered by new laws.
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Other measures Britain and other signatories would have to enshrine in law include compensation for victims of domestic violence.
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Eeasy annulment or dissolution of forced marriages.
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And punishments for carrying out or coercing somebody into genital mutilation, forced abortions or forced sterilisation.
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Another issue is stalking and the the British Crime Survey estimated that approximately 120,000 incidents of stalking occur each year.
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Between 2009 and 2010, however, just 53,000 crimes of stalking or harassment were recorded by the police:
2% of which received a custodial sentence, and a further 10% of which were given a fine or a probation order.
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The reforms are thought to be similar to those introduced in Scotland in December 2010.
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Since the introduction of the stalking law in Scotland there have been over four hundred 400 prosecutions compared with an average of seven per year under existing breach of the peace legislation for each of the previous 10 years.
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Amelia Hill and Juliette Jowit
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Eeasy annulment or dissolution of forced marriages.
.
And punishments for carrying out or coercing somebody into genital mutilation, forced abortions or forced sterilisation.
.
Another issue is stalking and the the British Crime Survey estimated that approximately 120,000 incidents of stalking occur each year.
.
Between 2009 and 2010, however, just 53,000 crimes of stalking or harassment were recorded by the police:
2% of which received a custodial sentence, and a further 10% of which were given a fine or a probation order.
.
The reforms are thought to be similar to those introduced in Scotland in December 2010.
.
Since the introduction of the stalking law in Scotland there have been over four hundred 400 prosecutions compared with an average of seven per year under existing breach of the peace legislation for each of the previous 10 years.
.
Amelia Hill and Juliette Jowit
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