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Agence France-Presse

When a man took a picture under her skirt with impunity, it was the final straw for Gina Martin – a 27-year-old whose campaign is leading to a change in British law.
Her experience has put Martin on the frontline in a fight to make the practice of so-called “upskirting” illegal, one that has seen her face lawmaker resistance and even online rape threats.
Martin, from Liverpool in northwest England, was attending a music festival in London’s Hyde Park when a man rubbed against her while his friend lurked nearby.
“Five minutes later, I saw that his friend … was watching a picture taken very close to a woman’s crotch,” she said.
“I knew it was me immediately.”
Martin grabbed the phone and showed the image to police officers.
To her surprise, they seemed unsure what to do and, after asking the man to delete the photo, took no further action.
In a phone call several days later, an officer told her the case was closed.
“They said ‘we can’t really help you’,” she recalled.
“And then I got really angry about it.”
South Korean women’s anger about spycam porn ‘has reached its limit’, say protesters
“Growing up as a young girl who lives in a city … you have really scary situations constantly and it was the last straw.”
Martin was outraged to learn that taking such pictures – “upskirting” – is currently not a crime in England and Wales, unlike in Scotland.
The daughter of “progressive, passionate” parents who had raised her to be a feminist, she decided to campaign to make it illegal, collecting more than 100,000 signatures of support in an online petition.
An offence of “upskirting” has since been included in draft legislation criminalising voyeurism which was to be debated in the British parliament on Tuesday and is due to be passed within weeks.
“It’s surreal in a way because I can’t believe that we’ve nearly done it,” said Martin, who works in advertising and is far removed from political or activist circles.
However, it has taken time for her voice to be heard.
Initially Martin’s demands attracted hate messages and intimidating threats online, which led her to change her name on Facebook.
“I got rape threats for a year,” she said.
Decision on Hong Kong law used to tackle upskirting may not come until next year
“The main narrative (was) it’s my own fault for wearing a skirt.”
Martin said after enduring a “really bad” period when she could barely sleep, she began to make progress with the support of her lawyer, boyfriend and family.
She gathered testimonies from other victims of “upskirting”, including young girls who recounted incidents in schools, at bus stops, and on public transport.
In June, the activist suffered a setback when the proposed law over “upskirting” was blocked in parliament by Conservative MP Christopher Chope.
Following an uproar, Prime Minister Theresa May’s government has since decided to spearhead the legislation, leading to cross-party support.
It now stipulates a fine or even a prison sentence for those found guilty.
Plan to make ‘upskirting’ a criminal offence in Britain thwarted by lawmaker
Martin believes her campaign was boosted by the emergence of the #MeToo movement late last year.
“It became suddenly a little easier,” she said of trying to get people in power to pay attention to the issue.
“They definitely knew that they had to listen because that international conversation was happening and they couldn’t go away from it any more – they couldn’t sweep it under the carpet.”
Tired and impatient to see the legislation finally enacted, Martin said it will bring “massive closure” to her.
“I am really ready to be able to tell these girls who message me, and tell everyone, that they can now use it and that it will actually change their lives.”


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Sexual harassment and assault

Rape threats for woman fighting against upskirt photo perverts

‘Upskirting’ is currently not a crime in England and Wales, unlike in Scotland
               Woman campaigns to make it illegal with online petition

When a man took a picture under her skirt with impunity, it was the final straw for Gina Martin. Photo: AFP

Decision on Hong Kong law used to tackle upskirting may not come until next year

Hong Kong’s Court of Final Appeal. Photo: EPA

Philip Dykes SC is representing lawmaker Yau Wai-ching, appears at High Court in Admiralty. Yau appeals the ruling of a judicial review (disqualifying her from Lego seat) filed by chief executive. 24NOV16 SCMP / Dickson Lee

Icarus Wong Ho-yin, member of the Hong Kong Civil Rights Observer, questioned Section 161 of the Crimes Ordinance has already become "catch-all" offence whenever computer or smartphone has been used. SCMP / Alvin Lum. 23AUG18.

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‘Upskirting’ is currently not a crime in England and Wales, unlike in Scotland
Woman campaigns to make it illegal with online petition



When a man took a picture under her skirt with impunity, it was the final straw for Gina Martin – a 27-year-old whose campaign is leading to a change in British law.


Rape threats for woman fighting against upskirt photo perverts

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;} ‘Upskirting’ is currently not a crime in England and Wales, unlike in Scotland Woman campaigns to make it illegal with online petition

‘Upskirting’ is currently not a crime in England and Wales, unlike in Scotland

Woman campaigns to make it illegal with online petition