In this livestreamed and interactive event, Martin will be joined by two of the book’s contributors - Ben Hurst from Beyond Equality, and writer Cathy Reay - to dissect the most frustrating phrases and share what we can all do to have positive conversations for meaningful change. You will also have the opportunity to share your own questions and comments in this livestreamed event. We have always been clear – there are no excuses for this behaviour and offenders should feel the full force of the law. From today, they will. But this is just the beginning. Please raise your voice and report if you are a victim or if you see someone become one - every report builds a picture so we can stop upskirting. Currently, ‘upskirting’ does not go unpunished in England and Wales, and there have been successful prosecutions under the Outraging Public Decency (OPD) offence.

In 2017, I believed the best way to prevent upskirting was by criminalising it; it was the biggest I could think and would lead to the most impactful change. The institutional script teaches us that prosecuting people for the harm they cause will solve the problem. I was also driven by the experience of being a victim of stalking who had spent years feeling terrified by a man that the state didn’t deal with, so to me, changing the law was about making victims and survivors feel safer by giving them something to use. I didn’t ask if the men who commit this act – because it is overwhelmingly men – would be changed by the process. I didn’t think of them much at all.

Though I’m not rejecting my past work, I see my purpose now as trying to make my own law moot; if I can contribute to a reality where sexual assault is significantly reduced and the voyeurism act is used less, I’ll be happy. If I can do work that breaks the circuit of lost boys becoming insecure men who use sexual assault as a way to feel powerful, I’ll be proud. FInd out more about what this new law means: read ‘Upskirting’ now a specific crime as bill receives Royal Assent. We hope that this new law will be another step forward in challenging the prevailing sexist attitudes and behaviours in our society that underpin violence against women and girls. Domestic abuse does not happen in a cultural vacuum. By making upskirting a criminal offence, we will send out the powerful message that this form of abuse is unacceptable and perpetrators of this crime will be held to account. Upskirting is a harmful and humiliating form of abuse and often has a devastating impact on all aspects of the victim’s life. We have long been calling, along with the campaigner Gina Martin and a cross-party of MPs, for upskirting to be recognised as a sexual offence. The Ministry of Justice has listened to campaigners’ calls for action on this issue and taken decisive action. Following the bill gaining Royal Assent this week, upskirting is now a criminal offence. Gina Martin is a gender equality campaigner, speaker and writer whose work focuses on gender, misogyny and sexual violence. Her book, No Offence, But … is published on 27 July

A report from UN Women UK has shown that 71 per cent of women of all ages have experienced some form of sexual harassment in a public space. It would capture instances where the purpose is to obtain sexual gratification or cause humiliation, distress or alarm. Those who commit such a degrading act will face prison, and victims’ complaints will be dealt with seriously.

It creates 2 new offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003. The changes will cover England and Wales; ‘upskirting’ is already a specific offence in Scotland. Notes to editors The Voyeurism Act creates 2 new offences to make the act of upskirting a specific criminal offence. The latest statistics from ONS have shown 177 women were murdered in England and Wales between April 2020 to March 2021. Today, the Voyeurism Act comes into effect and I’m so happy. Finally we have a fit-for-purpose law that protects against every instance of upskirting - as we should have always had.

Girls are just effervescent they’re like, yes! They don’t have an option to talk about sexual harassment, sexism and gender double standards. They don’t feel necessarily comfortable doing it with the teachers because they feel like they’ll get in trouble.”

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In June 2021, the Department of Education announced that school and college leaders will be provided with training and support to deal with sexual harassment. Understanding how perceptions of safety can be improved, and incidents of harassment and threatening behaviour reduced in public spaces across Cambridgeshire. More + We started a good conversation through the campaign,” Martin said. “Now when I go on Google, I point out upskirting; it’s all about what is upskirting? Why is it happening? It’s all about misogyny and sexism. No longer is it about porn, which I’m proud of.” A summary conviction would carry a sentence of up to one year in prison and/or a fine. And a more serious offence, tried in the Crown Court, would carry a sentence of up to two years in prison.