INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
People convicted of "upskirting" to be placed on sex offender register (representational)London: Britain plans
to ban "upskirting" -- secretly taking pictures up women's skirts -- under a new law being debated in parliament on Friday that would impose
prison sentences of up to two years."This behaviour is a hideous invasion of privacy which leaves victims feeling degraded and distressed,"
junior justice minister Lucy Frazer said, giving the government's backing to the draft law put forward by opposition lawmaker Wera
Hobhouse.People convicted of "upskirting" would be placed on the sex offender register once the law is approved by parliament.Some instances
of "upskirting" are currently prosecuted under existing public decency and voyeurism laws, but campaigners said not all instances were
covered by existing criminal law.Campaigner Gina Martin started an online petition after police declined to prosecute a man she accused of
taking a picture of her on his phone at a music festival as she had been wearing underwear and the photo was therefore not considered
illegal."This is obviously great news," Martin said on Friday."Now -- hopefully -- we can get access to justice for all victims because the
politicians listened," she said.Katie Ghose, chief executive of Women's Aid, said: "We welcome the government taking decisive action to make
upskirting a criminal offence."This form of abuse is painful and humiliating for victims and often has a devastating impact on all aspects
of their lives."Lisa Hallgarten, head of policy for Brook, a sexual health and wellbeing charity for young people, also welcomed the
recognition of upskirting as a criminal offence.But she said that "the law alone is not enough"."Schools have a critical role in challenging
harmful behaviours and practices by dealing with any issues promptly," she said."In order to keep children and young people safe from harm
we must teach them at the earliest opportunity to respect each other's privacy, to know their rights and to understand issues around
consent, coercion and unwanted, unsafe touch."(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by TheIndianSubcontinent staff and is
published from a syndicated feed.)
