--- description: Taking unauthorized, sexually intrusive photographs up someone's skirt, known as upskirting, has been criminalized in England and Wales title: Upskirting Is Now Criminalized in the United Kingdom image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9c655b1c6f0ffe4/6989450c096a94c8b26a48db/gettyimages-1052775296.jpg?branch=production&width=2400&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  * [World](/section/world/) ## World Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [United Kingdom](/tag/united-kingdom/) ## United Kingdom Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Upskirting Is Now a Criminal Offense in the United Kingdom by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 13, 2019 9:22 AM CUT  Gina Martin poses for a portrait in London on Oct. 10, 2018. Gina Martin poses for a portrait in London on Oct. 10, 2018.Adrian Dennis—AFP/Getty Images by [Casey Quackenbush](/author/casey-quackenbush/) ## Casey Quackenbush Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Feb 13, 2019 9:22 AM CUT The act of taking unauthorized, sexually intrusive photographs under someone’s clothing, known as upskirting, was officially [criminalized](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/upskirting-now-a-specific-crime-after-bill-receives-royal-assent "undefined") Tuesday in England and Wales. Upskirting-target Gina Martin successfully got the bill to receive Royal Assent, the final step in an 18-month campaign. Starting in April, perpetrators can face up to two years in prison and be placed on the sex offenders’ registry. The law will take effect in England and Wales, as Scotland already has its own regulations covering upskirting. “It has been a long time coming but we are finally protected in every scenario — as we should always have been,” [said Martin](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-47218631 "undefined"), according to the BBC. Martin launched the campaign after an incident in July 2017, where she caught a man taking a photo up her skirt during a Killers concert. Martin reported the episode to police, only to discover it was not a criminal offense. She wrote a Facebook post that went viral, and 50,000 people signed an online petition to get her case re-opened, BBC reports. Police will now be able to arrest people on suspicion of upskirting. “There’s a lot of work still to do. A change in law is a huge thing, it sets a precedent but it doesn’t change people’s opinions,” said Martin. “We still see ‘smaller’ sexual assaults as not such a problem but it’s a massive issue,” she added. The effort to outlaw upskirting stumbled last June when a conservative lawmaker [blocked](http://time.com/5313522/upskirting-law-blocked-uk/ "undefined") the bill. Prime Minister Theresa May called his objection “disappointing” and days later, the measure reappeared in parliament. May [welcomed](https://twitter.com/10DowningStreet/status/1095294013396127744/video/1 "undefined") the passage of the upskirting law, saying Tuesday she was, “Very pleased to see the degrading practice of upskirting become a criminal offense after the tireless work of victims and campaigners.” In the U.S., upskirting is not a crime at a federal level. In 2014, Massachusetts state lawmakers [outlawed the practice,](http://time.com/15432/massachusetts-poised-to-ban-upskirt-photos/ "undefined") but a Texas court also upheld its citizens’ constitutional right to take upskirt photos, citing the right to freedom of speech. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/5528313/upskirting-united-kingdom-criminalized/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/5528313/upskirting-united-kingdom-criminalized/"},"headline":"Upskirting Is Now a Criminal Offense in the United Kingdom","datePublished":"2019-02-13T09:22:50.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T22:45:26.250Z","description":"Perpetrators face two years in prison and could be forced to register on a sex offenders' list","url":"https://time.com/5528313/upskirting-united-kingdom-criminalized/","keywords":["United Kingdom","onetime","overnight"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9c655b1c6f0ffe4/6989450c096a94c8b26a48db/gettyimages-1052775296.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Casey Quackenbush","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/casey-quackenbush/"}],"articleSection":"World","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltf9c655b1c6f0ffe4/6989450c096a94c8b26a48db/gettyimages-1052775296.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"BRITAIN-LAW-ABUSE-WOMEN","caption":"BRITAIN-LAW-ABUSE-WOMEN","creditText":"Adrian Dennis—AFP/Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/world/","name":"World"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/united-kingdom/","name":"United Kingdom"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/5528313/upskirting-united-kingdom-criminalized/","name":"Upskirting Is Now a Criminal Offense in the United Kingdom"}}]}] ```