The home secretary has ordered a review of the state’s counter-terrorism strategy amid rising violence against women and girls, the British paper reports
The UK government plans to treat extreme misogyny with the same seriousness as Islamist and far-right extremism. This comes in response to growing violence against women, according to a report in the Sunday Telegraph.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has directed a review of the counter-terrorism strategy to combat violence against women and girls. This review aims to address concerns that current legislation is too narrow. The updated guidance will likely require teachers to report any students suspected of extreme misogyny to the government’s Prevent program.
Currently, teachers, healthcare workers, and local authorities are obligated to report individuals they believe are at risk of radicalization.
“For too long, Governments have failed to address the rise in extremism, both online and on our streets, and we’ve seen the number of young people radicalized online grow,” Cooper told the newspaper, vowing to close any loopholes in existing policies that hinder authorities from cracking down on violence.
The comprehensive review of the Prevent program, expected to conclude by autumn, will focus on developing a new strategic approach involving close collaboration between the government and communities. This measure is part of a wider counter-extremism strategy the Home Office plans to unveil next year.
This move aims to address growing concerns about the influence of misogynistic figures who are radicalizing teenage boys through online platforms. The news outlet cited Andrew Tate, a controversial British-American influencer who self-identifies as a “misogynist,” as an example. Tate is currently awaiting trial in Romania on charges of rape, human trafficking, and forming a criminal gang to sexually exploit women.
The Home Office currently categorizes several types of extremism as areas of concern, including Islamist, extreme right-wing, animal rights, environmental, and Northern Ireland-related. The list also includes an online subculture called “incel,” short for “involuntarily celibate.” This refers to a misogynistic worldview promoted by men who blame women for their lack of romantic prospects.
In the year ending March 31, 2023, there were 6,817 referrals to the Prevent program, an increase of 6.4% from the previous year, according to government statistics. Of these, 37% were categorized as “vulnerability present but no ideology of counter-terrorism risk,” while 19% were related to extreme right-wing ideologies, and 11% were associated with Islamist extremism.
In February, a study conducted by UK telecommunications multinational Vodafone found that 70% of teachers had witnessed a rise in sexist language in their classrooms over the past year, while 69% of boys had encountered posts promoting misogyny. The study also revealed that 42% of parents had heard their sons make inappropriate comments due to online content.