‘Upskirting’ to officially be made illegal – and punishable by up to two years in jail Gina Martin, a writer and activist based in London, started a campaign for it to be made illegal after she was violated at a music festival

Men who take pictures up women’s skirts could now face up to two years in prison, as a bill on “upskirting” passes its third and final reading in the House of Lords on Tuesday.

The offence will become a criminal act after it achieves Royal Assent this spring.

Gina Martin, 26, a freelance writer based in London, started a campaign for it to be made illegal after she was upskirted at a music festival in 2017.

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Tired of ignoring violating and non-consensual behaviour, she started the #stopskirtingtheissue campaign via a petition, which reached 100,000 signatures.

She is now backed by lawyer Ryan Whelan, of Global law firm Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, police commissioners, and MPs across all parties.

Speaking to i today following news that the bill is set to be enshrined in law, she said: “I’m feeling elated, it’s been two years of exhaustive unbelievable work. I thought politics was impenetrable, but I managed to have an influence on it.”

The legal battle

A private member’s bill on upskirting was originally taken through the House of Commons by Wera Hobhouse, the Liberal Democrat MP for Bath. She introduced it to Parliament on the 6 March 2018, two days before International Women’s Day.

However, the bill was filibustered by controversial MP Christopher Chope in Summer 2018.

The government later intervened, and backed a bill as part of a drive to combat sexual violence and gender inequality in the UK.

The act, which will come under the Sexual Offences Act 2003, will cover England and Wales. In Scotland, upskirting is already a crime.

Perpetrators of upskirting were already punishable under the Outraging Public Decency (OPD) offence, and there have been a number of successful prosecutions.

However, creating a specific law on upskirting strengthens it and ensures it is treated as a sexual offence.

Better education

During the campaign, Ms Martin found herself subject to yet more harassment in the form of rape and death threats online.

“It was really hard,” she said.

“There was a big push back online during the first year.

“It was quite a lot to deal with. But it also showed me that there was still a lot of work to do. It kept me pushing to work with the government and make this legal.”

She now plans to continue working to educate young people about upskirting, which will include personal appearances in schools.