Context
The question addresses the inadequacy of current legal measures in handling non-consensual filming incidents involving women. It highlights a specific challenge where such acts fall into a legal grey area, complicating law enforcement responses.
Question
What assessment she has made of the adequacy of existing legal frameworks in relation to the non-consensual filming of women in public. Secretly filmed videos of women on nights out have been viewed more than 3 billion times over the last three years, and these videos often come with vile, degrading comments. The videos create real victims but sit in a grey area between voyeurism and harassment, making it difficult for police to take action.
Answer from Jess Phillips
From 1 April, measures under the Protection from Sex-based Harassment in Public Act 2023 will come into force, making it an offence to film where the intent is to cause harassment, alarm or distress because of the victim's sex. I spent this morning in the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology with the violence against women and girls sector and Ofcom to look at some of those gaps that she has identified. We will do whatever we can, but absolutely, where it is harassment and is in the public realm, it should be covered by the public sex-based harassment law.
Not addressed: The specific request for a detailed discussion on strengthening the law was acknowledged but not committed to concretely.
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