UK: Photographing breastfeeding women in public could lead to jail in England & Wales

Taking photographs of breastfeeding women in public without their consent could be soon made illegal in England and Wales. According to a proposal presented in the Parliament on Tuesday, January 4, people who take images of breastfeeding mothers without their permission might face up to two years in prison, The Guardian reported. The Ministry of Justice has added a new offence of breastfeeding voyeurism to the police, crime, sentencing, and courts law, with a maximum sentence of two years. It comes after Stella Creasy, the Labour MP for Walthamstow, was photographed on a train in north London while she was feeding her four-month-old daughter.

Creasy along with Jeff Smith, the Labour MP for Manchester Withington, has been working on a campaign called 'Stop the Breast Pest.' Creasy claimed she was breastfeeding on a train last year when she observed a teenager giggling and clicking pictures. "He had his phone out, and I assumed he was playing with it, but then I saw he was clicking photos. You get a sense of being exposed. I am not sure he got much of a photo, but the absolute anguish at the point when you're trying to support your newborn baby... and someone is doing that, it was heinous," she told The Guardian. 

Domestic abuse victims to have more time to report cases of common assault

According to the report, the new offence of breastfeeding voyeurism is one of two new amendments to the police, crime, sentencing and courts bill. Under a separate amendment, Domestic abuse victims will have more time to report cases of common assault against them. As of now, prosecutions must begin within six months following the offence. Instead, the time restriction for bringing a prosecution will be extended to six months from the date the incident is formally reported to the police.

Cooper hails government's amendments

Last year, Yvette Cooper, Labour's shadow home secretary, proposed an amendment to the bill in the Commons that was similar to the government's latest decision. "We are giving victims of domestic violence more time to report the crime to the police so that abusers don't get away with it," stated Dominic Raab, Britain's Deputy Prime Minister and justice secretary. "We will also make a new law to prevent individuals from filming or photographing breastfeeding women without their consent because no new mother should be harassed in this way," he added as per the British news outlet. Cooper praised the government's amendments, saying they are one of several steps Labour is taking to combat violence against women and girls.

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