Judy Murray: Law fails female victims of violence, hate and abuse

Although a lot has improved for women in society, I think we can all agree there’s still so much work to be done in both the workplace and at home.

So, it was heartening to see a new recommendation from the Law Commission, an independent body that advises the UK Government, that misogyny should be treated the same way as any other hate crime.

When I started reading into the background of the report, I was particularly struck by something MP Stella Creasy said about the importance of this step forward. She commented that “sexism and women’s inequality are the root causes of violence against women” and changing how we view misogyny will help to improve protection for those experiencing abuse.

The rise in domestic violence over lockdown should be a sign that this proposal comes at a crucial moment, and we need to do more to ensure women aren’t in danger.

In addition to violence from spouses and partners, the way victims of sexual assault and rape are treated within the legal system – often having to talk about their ordeal in explicit detail in front of a room full of strangers – has always struck me as counter-productive to ensuring more crimes are reported.

So, let’s hope this small step forward will lead to yet more leaps in funding, support and changes to the law. Sadly, we still have a long way to go.