Germany follows England's footsteps, introduces bill to criminalise 'upskirting' photos

After England and Wales, Germany on November 14 introduced legislation to criminalise “upskirting” photos and clicking unauthorised pictures of people killed in accidents. After the parliamentary approval, taking and distributing such photographs will become a criminal rather than civil offence. Talking about the legislation against taking and distributing pictures of a dead person that displays the deceased in a “grossly offensive way”, Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht said, “We must spare relatives the additional suffering of pictures of their deceased parents or children being spread around.” Read: Saudi Labels Feminism, Atheism, Homosexuality As 'extremist Ideas' When England & Wales criminalised 'upskirting' Upskirting is basically an act of taking a picture underneath a person’s skirt without their consent and is often performed in a crowded place such as public transport, subways, railway stations, and concerts. In February 2019, England and Wales enacted the law that made it illegal to take “upskirting” photos after Queen Elizabeth II gave royal approval to the law. The law not only provides for up to two-year jail term for the convicts but also put their names on sex offenders register. Read: Man Faces Sexual Assault Charge After Incident On A Plane Campaigning by a victim The law came to fruition after activist and author Gina Martin started a campaign against it after a man took an “upskirting” picture of her at a London music festival in 2017. Gina Martin ran an aggressive campaign in the United Kingdom to criminalise such photographs. Be an ally. If you see someone attempting to upskirt someone, stop it. Call it out. Get a picture. Tell the police. It's illegal 📵📵📵 https://t.co/29H7vMxB9x — Gina Martin (@ginamartinuk) July 28, 2019 After becoming a victim and recognising the gap in the law, Martin partnered with Ryan Whelan of Gibson Dunn, a global law firm, and began 18 months of exhaustive, emotional and life-changing work, she had said. “I always thought politics was impenetrable, but with the right help and the will power you can do it. We did it. We made upskirting a sexual offence. I AM EXHAUSTED AND SO SO HAPPY!” she said in a statement. Read: French Actor Adèle Haenel Reveals She Was Sexually Harassed As A Teen Read: Mysuru Bishop Denies Sexual Misconduct, Fund Misappropriation Charges (With AP Inputs)

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Germany follows England's footsteps, introduces bill to criminalise 'upskirting' photos

Germany on November 14 introduced legislation which will criminalise “upskirting” photos and clicking unauthorized pictures of people killed in accidents.

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