THE Scottish government’s plans to bring forward a misogyny Bill have been welcomed by the teaching union NASUWT.

The Bill had first been mooted in the last parliament but was delayed by the legal battle over how a woman would be defined under the Equality Act 2010.

Speaking in Parliament on Tuesday, First Minister John Swinney put it back on the agenda, pledging “greater security also for women and girls, with a misogyny Bill to outlaw misogynistic harassment and abuse in Scotland” over the course of the parliament.

Welcoming the move yesterday, NASUWT general secretary Matt Wrack said: “The Scottish government is right to move towards criminalising misogynistic harassment and abuse but this can only be a part of the answer to tackling rising misogyny.

“Sadly, we have witnessed a worrying rise in misogynistic behaviour from pupils in schools — nearly a quarter of female teachers tell NASUWT they have been subjected to misogyny from a pupil in the last year. 

“If this is happening in schools, it is likely happening elsewhere too, in workplaces and homes. 

“Tackling that requires a broad strategy, including education and the empowerment of young women and girls. 

“We will not have true equality until we have eradicated all forms of discrimination. If it is to be effective, this Bill must designate misogyny as a hate crime.” 

The union’s national official for Scotland, Mike Corbett, added: “While accountability measures are welcome, we must also have measures for prevention.

“This means tackling the horrifying amount of misogynistic content available online to influence boys and men, and holding technology companies, media outlets and right wing-campaigners responsible for their role in the constant dissemination of this content.”