Stalking

Lord Paddick Excerpts

Tuesday 14th May 2019 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

The noble Baroness makes a good point. She will know that we have asked the Law Commission to look at various types of hate crime. Misogyny is among the things they could look at to see whether there is anything further we can do in legislation to enhance the types of crime we consider hate crimes.

[Lord Paddick (LD)]

My Lords—

[Baroness Corston (Lab)]

My Lords—

[Lord Taylor of Holbeach (Con)]

My Lords, it is the turn of the Lib Dems.

[Lord Paddick]

My Lords, coercive control can sometimes be so subtle and perpetrators so manipulative that victims may not even be aware of it themselves. Does the Minister agree that compulsory sex and relationship education is an essential part of keeping young people safe from this type of offence?

[Baroness Williams of Trafford]

The noble Lord is right that coercive control can be so subtle that the victim of it does not realise, sometimes until many years down the line, that financial control or mental manipulation is happening to them. Sex and relationship education is to be made compulsory. Every young child needs to know what a healthy relationship looks like, as opposed to a coercive or manipulative one.