ishi Sunak has pledged to criminalize crushing a crime as part of a massive crackdown on sex offenders to protect women and girls.
If he succeeds in the race to replace Boris Johnson as Prime Ministerthe former chancellor announced that he would make it illegal to take pictures of a woman’s top without permission, or “downblousing.”
Currently in England and WalesActs like upskirt or voyeurism are criminalized, but downblousing is not covered by existing law.
The former chancellor also said he would create a new emergency task force to track down the gangs.
Mr Sunak said: “Sexual violence against women and girls should be treated as a national emergency until defeated.
“As a father of two girls, I want them to be able to go for a walk at night or go to a shop at night without fear of being threatened.
I will criminalize it if you harass women by taking intimate pictures of them without their consent
“As Chancellor, I have ramped up support for victims to record levels – a fourfold increase from that under Labor – and a groundbreaking new approach to policing that is helping to ramp up the prosecution of sex offenders.
“I will continue as prime minister. I will criminalize it if you harass women by taking intimate photos of them without their consent, and I will take a massive crackdown on grooming gangs.
“We can’t let racial sensitivities stop us from catching dangerous criminals who prey on women, and I won’t stop until we live in a society where women and girls can live their daily lives safely and securely.”
As part of his crackdown on sex offenders, Mr Sunak said the new emergency task force would work at the heart of the National Crime Agency, launching an investigation into any town or city where significant grooming gang activity has been found.
suspects would be forced to explain why they have children’s phone numbers or contact details, and to reveal their ethnicity or nationality for crime prevention purposes.
The former chancellor would also set up a national gang grooming whistleblower network to collect information about gangs and set up a special database to help police monitor suspects.
To help police identify victims of grooming gangs, Mr Sunak would step up their training and remind officers to serve without fear or favor, including the fear of being accused of racism.
In addition, to prevent foreign offenders from using the Human Rights Act to frustrate their deportation order, the Richmond MP would pass the Bill of Rights.
In an effort to support victims of sexual violence, a Sunak government would also provide mental health services to rape victims so that they are available for life and ensure that all survivors of sexual violence have access to same-sex spaces.
The former chancellor’s announcement comes hours after his rival Tory leadership pledged to better protect women and girls from violence and abuse, saying it is the responsibility of all political leaders to “do more”.
Liz Truss stressed that over the past two years, the nation has been “shocked” by the high-profile murders of women, many in London.
Under its plans, a standalone offense to criminalize harassment would be introduced alongside a domestic violence registry, which would include coercion and control behavior and financial abuse.