Thread by @ginamartinuk

A law I helped create was the reason Giselle’s husband was caught. It exposed the stomach churning abuse of his wife.

I have received hundreds of messages over the last 48hrs about it.

Here’s how I feel: 🧵

I‘ve been walking around the house unable to focus, staring, on the edge of tears because the facts of this case are stomach churning & feel both horrifically unthinkable yet somehow not shocking.

Yes, the strength of Gisele is unbelievable. But she should never have had to be.

I feel thankful that a law I worked on helped catch this man, yet I also feel devastated that it had to be used in the first place. I feel heartbroken every time it’s used, not proud. Just sad for the survivors.

But here’s the backstory:

The French upskirting law reform was created based on my law reform and campaign: which amended the sexual offences act, 2003 in England & Wales, making upskirting a specific sexual offence in 2019.

The truth is, I have complex feelings about the law change because I don’t believe incaraceration prevents violence. I now work in upstream prevention.

You can read all about my feelings on my reform here.

theguardian.com/commentisfree/…

When I was fighting for this reform, I was sent 1000s of stories by women, girl, trans people about being upskirted.

They often included accounts of other violence, so I knew upskirting was connected to other forms of abuse.

I tried to prove it but no one in power believed me.

Years later, after the law change, an FOI request revealed that ONE THIRD of perpetrators of upskirting are perpetrating other more violent or repeat acts of sexual violence alongside upskirting: sexual abuse of children, rape, DV and more.

They now had the data to prove it.

Gisele’s case (I refuse to use her last name which is that of her husband), shows us that in clear terms: upskirting is *one* vehicle to abuse someone and often it runs parallel to other abuse or violence either on the same person, or others.

Why?

It’s simple: misogyny is the root cause, and a misogynistic man who has become emboldened and violent satisfies that twisted ideology in multiple ways.

We consistently act as if these acts are unrelated and they NEVER ARE; not the acts of abuse these men perpetrate on one person..

nor the individuals actions of violence by different men across a community. ALL of it is connected.

And here’s why YOU are connected to it, too. ⬇️

1. The way you make/laugh off sexist jokes sends a message to those present that misogyny and sexism is acceptable. It perpetuates a culture of it.

2. The way you tell girls to cover up sends a message that their bodies are inherently sexual defining them as a sexual object.

3. They way you say something to a guy you would never say to a woman upholds a culture of sexism.

4. The way you are annoyed by this list because you don’t think it applies to you continues the fallacy that only those who commit violence are the cause.

5. The way you don’t question gender roles in your relationship because they benefit you, perpetuates dynamics and culture that make women “in service” to men.

6. The way you can’t explain or describe affirmative consent or what ongoing, enthusiastic consent should look or feel like to your children (or at all tbh) shows them that it’s not a priority.

7. The way you brush off boys behaviour of ignorance to others’ experience, perusing girls, being homophobic or being entitled continues a low-standards of expectation around masculinity that allows boys and men to develop dangerous attitudes about gender and sexuality.

ultimately, the way you refuse to acknowledge any of this is your responsibility too is why this is happening to us. It’s why we are being murdered, abused, rape and harassed.

All of it’s connected. All of it matters. And none of it will decrease until you wake up and join the fight. 👊🏻

My phone autocorrected Gisele’s name at the top here. not cool.