An investigation into upskirting has found almost one victim every day has reported an incident to the police since April 2019, when the new law against it came into effect. The majority of offences were committed in public places, particularly schools and shopping centres.
According to the research, conducted by the Press Association, there were 153 reports made to England and Wales police forces. Figures were obtained from 35 different forces under the Freedom of Information Act. They show that children are also reporting incidents, with one as young as 10 being targeted.
The Voyeurism Offenses Act, which came into effect last year, has made it possible to convict perpetrators – something that was previously extremely difficult because there was no specific law against upskirting. The change in law was pioneered by activist Gina Martin, who spent years campaigning for it after she herself was a victim of upskirting.
Martin, who wrote about her experience for Grazia in 2015, is all too familiar with young girls falling victim to the pervasive crime. In fact, it was the messages she received from children when she posted on social media about her own experience that encouraged her to seek a change in the law.
‘As soon as I started putting posts out about it, I got loads of young girls messaging me that it had happened to,’ she told Grazia. ‘Some of which were twelve years old, some still in primary school like eight and nine, that’s when I was like, “Oh OK, well then I have to change the law”.
‘It was like a massive wake-up call,’ she continued. ‘I realised how big the problem was and the crazy fact that no-one was talking about it at all.’
It was the change in the law that has enabled so many young people to come forward reporting their crimes. And so, while the figures are harrowing, they are proof the law is working.
‘Eight months into our new law being usable and the numbers are rising,’ Martin tweeted in response to the figures. ‘These numbers are only just ~beginning~ to reflect the scale of the issue, but we're already catching repeat offenders and serious offenders too – including convicted paedophiles.’
Data from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) show 10 men were convicted of 16 offences in 2019. With 153 reports last year, this would mean upskirting holds a conviction rate of 6% - so it’s clear there is still work to be done when it comes to holding perpetrators accountable. Hopefully, as more victims feel comfortable reporting to the police, this will eventually become a reality.
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