Upskirting has been made a specific criminal offence after a bill to ban the cruel craze received Royal Assent in the House of Lords.
People convicted of taking an image or video of a victimโs groin or buttocks under their clothing face being jailed for two years and being put on the sex offenders register.
Gina Martin, who campaigned for the law change after being upskirted at a festival in 2017, welcomed the move and said it was a โlong time comingโ.
Prime Minister Theresa May said she was โvery pleased to see the degrading practice of upskirting become a criminal offence after the tireless work of victims and campaignersโ.
Victims called for the creation of a specific law after becoming frustrated with a lack of options to prosecute perpetrators.
While some people were able to seek a conviction under harassment, voyeurism or outraging public decency laws, the creation of a specific offence means suspects can be prosecuted where they sought to obtain sexual gratification or cause humiliation, distress or alarm.
The government intervened last June to bring forward measures to tackle the behaviour after a Private Memberโs Bill (PMB) was blocked by Conservative backbencher Sir Christopher Chope.
The veteran politician was criticised again last week after objecting to a PMB which sought to tackle female genital mutilation.
His actions last summer were condemned by campaigners and Tory colleagues, prompting the Government to adopt the Bill.
Martinโs campaign โ aided by lawyer Ryan Whelan from Gibson Dunn โ won political support from all parties and was backed by the likes of television presenters Holly Willoughby, Dermot OโLeary and Laura Whitmore.
Martin, 27, told the Press Association: โItโs a bit surreal โ Royal Assent is the final step in an exhausting amount of work. Itโs become part of my life.โ
She added: โChope took the campaign stratospheric โ an objection made people even more angry than they were already.
โThereโs a lot of work still to do. A change in law is a huge thing, it sets a precedent but it doesnโt change peopleโs opinions.
โThereโs a huge job to do in creating narratives around this thing โ we still see โsmallerโ sexual assaults as not such a problem but itโs a massive issue.
โIt has been a long time coming but we are finally protected in every scenario โ as we should always have been.โ
The new law means police will be able to arrest people on suspicion of upskirting from April.
Martin said she was determined to continue with her battle after receiving inspirational messages from fellow victims โ despite being inundated with rape and death threats.
She spent nearly two years fighting to make the cruel craze a specific offence after two men took a picture up her skirt at a festival in 2017.
Justice Minister Lucy Frazer said: โThose who commit such a degrading act will face prison, and victimsโ complaints will be dealt with seriously.
โGina Martin and other victims, charities and MPs supporting her should be immensely proud.
โHer efforts show how one campaigner can work with government to change the law for everyone.โ
Whelan said he was โtruly thrilledโ and never doubted the campaign.
He told the Press Association: โOn the day that I met her, I told a rather sceptical Gina that weโd succeed in changing the law. It has been a long road but we never lost faith that this day would come.
โNever doubt that ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things. As to our politicians, the success of the upskirting campaign is a timely reminder of what can be achieved when parties from across the political spectrum work together constructively.
โI also hope that FGM campaigners take faith from this that when the Government say theyโll stand behind you and find a way to overcome an objection from Sir Christopher Chope, they mean it and they will.โ
Sian Hawkins, head of campaigns and public affairs at Womenโs Aid, said: โWe hope that this new law will be another step forward in challenging the prevailing sexist attitudes and behaviours in our society that underpin violence against women and girls. Domestic abuse does not happen in a cultural vacuum.
โBy making upskirting a criminal offence, we will send out the powerful message that this form of abuse is unacceptable and perpetrators of this crime will be held to account.โ
Clare McGlynn, a professor in law at Durham University who called for a specific upskirting offence since revenge porn was made illegal in 2015, described the law as a โwelcome step forwardโ, but said it does not go far enough.
She said: โUrgent action is needed to criminalise all forms of image-based sexual abuse, including fake porn and threats to share sexual images, as well as granting automatic anonymity to complainants.
โThe current law is out of date, piecemeal and inconsistent and failing victims.โ
The first official figures on upskirting, obtained by the Press Association last year, showed children as young as 10 complained to police.
The information also highlighted that only one third of police forces in England and Wales had any data on the prevalence of upskirting.
