We are a gender inclusive, dedicated women’s and intersectional rights group based in Manchester. We campaign in conjunction with Greater Manchester Citizens, Citizens UK, to get misogyny recognised as a hate crime category locally in GM, and in national legislation.
University of Manchester Student Union Campaign of the Year 2019
On 8th May 2019, our campaign won the University of Manchester Students Union Campaign of the Year. The event was held in Academy 1 and we were nominated alongside many other volunteer and campaign groups. It was an extremely exciting moment and played testimony to all the hard work of our team over the previous year.
“MisogynyISHate should win this award due to its commitment to and successes around making misogyny a recognisable, de-stigmatised talking point, and for raising awareness whilst pursuing a tangible change to make our streets, homes, workplaces, universities and public transport safer for women and girls.”
Context of our Campaign
GMC, CUK
Citizens UK is a community organising group that aims to return power to people through personal relationships, community institutions and a practical approach to influencing figures who hold power, working with a diverse group of institutions such as schools, universities, hospitals, mosques, churches, synagogues, charities and other community groups. CUK prompts thousands of conversations each year, listening to people in our community, coaching and training leaders and organising to create change people wish to see in our community.
Greater Manchester Citizens, as a part of Citizens UK, was started in 2016 and works with schools, trade union branches, faith institutions and community groups alongside the University of Manchester. GMC promotes change in issues ranging from housing, social care and hate crime to encouraging more employers to pay a real Living Wage, in order to win victories that change communities and transform lives. In 2017, GMC held a 1000 person Mayoral Assembly and persuaded newly elected Mayor, Andy Burnham, to implement a lead on Community Cohesion.
In 2016 Nottinghamshire Police became the first English police force to allow women and girls to report cases of misogyny. Misogyny Hate Crime is important as it means hateful attitudes towards women in our society are being challenged, with women being taken more seriously.
Where Our Campaign Started
During the run-up to the 2017 Mayoral Assembly, Greater Manchester Citizens noted that tackling the endemic of street harassment and violence against women was a priority for men and women in communities across our city. In 2018, the centenary of the beginning of women’s suffrage, GMC Community Organiser met Sylvie Pope, a student at the University of Manchester. Over the summer they launched the campaign to get misogyny recognised as a hate crime category in Greater Manchester, and in September 2018 Sylvie founded MisogynyISHate: the student branch of our call to action.
Manchester Evening News
Covering our campaign
Manchester's number one news publication has followed #MisogynyISHate from the beginning - even before that's what we were called!
Here the M.E.N documented the launch of our campaign at Levenshulme High School for Girls in July 2018, and founder Sylvie's interview on BBC Breakfast.