The Women’s Equality (WE) party has called for the Crown Prosecution Service to expand the definition of hate crime to include misogyny.

The statement came at the beginning of National Hate Crime Awareness Week (8-14 October), which draws attention to the ongoing, endemic problem of sexual harassment, assault and rape, among other hate crimes committed against women.

A recent survey by group End Violence Against Women found that 85 per cent of women aged 18 to 24 had experienced unwanted sexual attention.

Another 45 per cent said they had experienced unwanted sexual touching, while anti-street harassment group Hollaback revealed that most women experienced catcalling for the first time between the ages 11 and 17.

Women’s Equality party leader Sophie Walker said: “At the moment, criminal offences are categorised as a hate crime if they are motivated by hostility or prejudice based on disability, race, religion, transgender identity or sexual orientation.

“Yet crimes are committed against women – because they are women – every day.”

Last month Nottinghamshire Police Force announced that it had extended hate crime legislation to cover misogyny, meaning that any abuse or harassment experienced on account of being a woman can now be reported, tracked, and investigated by the police.

Writing on the WE party website, Cerian Jenkins who this month launched a #NotACompliment campaign to raise awareness of gendered harassment, said: “It’s important to bear in mind when talking about this issue that recording misogyny as a crime doesn’t actually change what is already a crime under UK law.

“In fact, what it does do is have a major impact on women’s perceptions of what they can confidently report to the police – assured of the fact that they will be taken seriously, and given the necessary support.”