Perverts who take images up womens skirts now face up to two years in jail.
The Government has backed a campaign to end the cruel craze of upskirting and announced it will soon be a criminal act.
The Ministry of Justice announced its support to ban the practice, which sees perpetrators take images under a persons clothing without their consent, on the eve of a Parliamentary session which could have otherwise seen the Bill sink without trace.
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Upskirting victim Gina Martin, 26, who faced rape threats and abuse after launching her campaign to make it a criminal offence, said: This is obviously great news, and its thanks to everyone whos listened to us along the way.
I want to hug every woman who has got in touch with me to say its happened to them, to say that now – hopefully – we can get access to justice for all victims because the politicians listened.
Theres still a way to go, but it looks now like it will go through without too much of a hitch.
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Upskirting is due to form part of the Voyeurism (Offences) Bill which is expected to go through the Commons today, unless there are any objections.
It must then go to the Lords before it receives Royal Assent, but this is seen as the greatest sign yet that the campaign will bear fruit.
Justice minister Lucy Frazer said: This behaviour is a hideous invasion of privacy which leaves victims feeling degraded and distressed.
By making upskirting a specific offence, we are sending a clear message that this behaviour will not be tolerated, and that perpetrators will be properly punished.
Ms Martin, a freelance writer living in London, has spent the last year calling for the ban after two men took a picture up her skirt while at the British SummerTime festival in Hyde Park in 2017.
She only realised what had happened when she spotted one of the men sharing the image on his mobile in front of her – but despite snatching the phone and presenting it as evidence to nearby police, the case was closed four days later.
Children as young as ten were known to be victims but securing a conviction proved very difficult.
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Currently victims in England and Wales are forced to seek prosecution through other legal avenues, such as outraging public decency or harassment, prompting the call for a specific law similar to one already in force in Scotland.
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The new law would bring the punishment for upskirting in line with other existing voyeurism offences, and will see offenders face a maximum of two years in prison.
Ms Martins campaign was supported by television presenters Holly Willoughby, Dermot OLeary and Laura Whitmore.
It was taken up by Wera Hobhouse, Lib Dem MP for Bath, who proposed the Voyeurism (Offences) Bill.
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The move has been welcomed by womens rights campaigners who have now called for revenge porn to also be made illegal.
Katie Ghose, chief executive of Womens 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.
We hope that this new criminal offence will be another step forward in challenging the prevailing sexist attitudes and behaviours in our society that underpin violence against women and girls.
Clare McGlynn, professor of law at Durham University and an expert on sexual violence, said: The criminalisation of upskirting announced on Friday is a welcome first step towards a more comprehensive law protecting victims of all forms of image-based sexual abuse, which also includes so-called revenge porn.
We hope to work with the Government to strengthen what is proposed in order to provide a truly effective deterrent, looking at intent, anonymity for all victims, and at threats.
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We also need to ensure there are sustainable and effective support services for all victims.
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