Upskirt—a practice of making unauthorized photographs and videos under a woman’s skirt without their consent has garnered a huge debate around the world for quite a few years now. After much of arguments, reports related to such incidents have not stopped at all. Recently, a 32-year-old man from Madison, Wisconsin was found guilty after he desired to take some videos under women’s skirts with a shoe camera. Interestingly, he received a great dose of justice after it backfired him as the camera exploded before he could execute his plans.

The 32-year-old man attached a camera to his shoe as he hoped to take upskirt videos of women. A report by Madison Police Chief, Michael Koval informed through his blog that the Madison resident’s plan failed before he could actually use his device. While testing the machine at home, the battery blasted and injured the man’s foot, efficiently destroying his evil plans. Officer David Dexheimer was quoted in the Wisconsin State Journal saying, “When the explosion happened, he got treatment for minor burns, then disclosed what happened to his mentor, a clergyman.”

The clergyman further advised the 32-year-old to confess about his cruel strategy as he accompanied the man to the West District Station. The man was later counselled on his actions and released as no illegal video was taken. He must have learnt a great lesson and hopefully would never initiate such plans in the future. With cheap cameras available on the market, the practice has become more accessible and easier.

In 2015, Wisconsin forwarded a law that prohibits any person from using a device to view or record under someone’s clothing without their knowledge. Those who are found guilty could be sentenced three and a half years of combined prison and extended supervision with a fine up to $10,000 (over Rs. 6 lakhs).

In India as well, such cases of capturing obscene photographs and videos of women without their consent have been reported. As the evil act has become universal, many states and countries around the world have revised their laws to tackle it. Although few countries have achieved success after more people argued for legislation against Upskirt photographs or videos, some states and nations are still struggling to curb such practise. A great example would be Washington D.C. where a judge earlier stated that women should not expect privacy in public places.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 29, 2018 12:04 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).