Labour’s Stella Creasy has put forward an amendment to the Voyeurism Bill that would make hatred of women a factor in “upskirting” cases.
If passed, courts would be expected to take that into account as an aggravating factor when sentencing somebody for the offence.
The MP and women’s rights campaigner said she hopes it will be the the first step in recognising misogyny as a crime in its own right- equal to offences based on race, religion or disability.
“At the moment while you would be protected in your workplace from being targeted because of your sex characteristic, out on the street we don’t make that distinction.”
However, ministers fear that the amendment could delay or even jeopardise efforts to criminalise upskirting.
And legal experts questioned whether new laws were necessary or fair.
Mark Stephens, a human rights lawyer and partner with Howard Kennedy, said: “What about equality? Should hatred of men also be considered a crime?”
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