![SKOREA-CRIME-GENDER SKOREA-CRIME-GENDER](https://api.time.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/gettyimages-1010684262.jpg?quality=85&w=2400)
South Korean authorities said they are stepping up efforts to tackle a growing public crisis — the profusion of hidden “spy-cams” used to illicitly record women without their consent.
The Seoul city government announced plans Sunday to root out hidden cameras by ramping up police staffing and ensuring daily inspections of public restrooms, South Korea’s Yonhap news agency reports.
The announcement comes amid rising public outrage over the “spy-cam porn” epidemic: last month, an estimated 70,000 protesters marched in Seoul to demand the authorities do more to protect women against sexual exploitation, and carried signs that read “my life is not your porn.”
More than 26,000 cases of hidden camera crimes were reported between 2012 and 2016, the Guardian reports, the vast majority of them committed by men. South Korean women describe a constant threat of being unknowingly recorded in public places, with tiny cameras adapted onto items like car keys, pens, eyeglasses, and even shoes. Secret cameras have been discovered in changing rooms, gyms and clothing stores as well as in offices and on public transit.
Read more: Revenge Porn: How Women Are Fighting Against Revenge Photos
In June, South Korean President Moon Jae-in called for more comprehensive action to tackle spy-cam crimes, calling for “stern” punishments for perpetrators and “special protection for victims,” Yonhap reported. Currently, perpetrators can face fines of up to 10 million won (U.S. $9,000) or five years in prison if caught.
The new initiative will boost inspection staff for the city’s 20,544 public toilets to some 8,000 people. Currently, just 50 workers are engaged in the toilet-checks, meaning each restroom is inspected at most once per month; none have discovered hidden cameras so far, the government said.
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Write to Eli Meixler at eli.meixler@time.com