Feb 27, 2018

Written By Becky Kells, Editor, AllAboutLaw

Upskirting: law against invasive photographs is under “constant review”, says Ministry of Justice

Feb 27, 2018

Written By Becky Kells, Editor, AllAboutLaw

78 cases of upskirting - the popular name for taking an intimate photograph of somebody beneath their clothing - have been recorded by British police in the past two years. Yet there is still no law against such activity, despite some of the victims being as young as 10 years old.

The bizarre and invasive activity - which is illegal in Scotland - often goes unreported by victims, or unrecorded by police, due to the lack of direct legislation to combat it, the Guardian reported. With many perpetrators taking photographs on their mobile phones, upskirting is symptomatic of a new, technology-fuelled type of street harassment.

Upskirting has close ties to street sexual harassment, which - while illegal in some countries, such as Belgium and Portugal - is not against the law in the UK.

According to a Ministry of Justice spokesperson, legislation surrounding upskirting is under “constant review”.

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