Petition · past parliament · Ministry of Justice
Make the minimum penalty for all sexual offences imprisonment.
Closed
316 signatures
What the petition asks
Under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, forty six offences including sexual assault have a summary conviction finding including paying a fine. The Government should make the minimum punishment for those convicted of any sexual offence imprisonment and inclusion on the Sex Offenders Register.
Our law does not reflect the fact that sexual offences have detrimental and long-lasting impacts upon victims. Often seen as a trivial offence, sexual assault is reported less than 25% of the time. Women, as recent events have shown, do not feel safe in the UK. The Government needs to demonstrate that it takes sexual offences seriously, by reflecting it in our law and enforcement, for the protection of people, and particularly women and children, within the UK.
Timeline
| 23 Mar 2021 | Petition opened for signatures |
| 23 Sep 2021 | Closed to new signatures |
Key facts
Signatures
316
Status
Closed
Department
Ministry of Justice
Opened
23 Mar 2021
Closed
23 Sep 2021
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Source: the official petition page. Last checked 15 Jul 2026.