Primark Scares
Almost one year ago, I asked Primark (via twitter) How they were going to keep my eleven year old Granddaughter safe from sex offending males, who have had access to female changing rooms in their stores since 2019. I also linked about Twenty seven criminal cases of sexual offending that have occurred in UK Primark stores-dating back to 2007 which you can read about here- link
These Sexual offences ranged from up-skirting to rape, some victims were children.
Primark would of known about these offences, because of police involvement etc. and yet in 2019 they proudly announced 'Unisex changing rooms for all' In essence, allowing sex offenders complete access to vulnerable girls and women in a state of undress.
Cambridge Primark: Woman 'scared' after men open her changing room curtain twice (link)
In September of this year, a brave young woman who posted this video on tiktok, in a very distressed state- as two men had opened the curtain of her changing room and looked in. Imagine all those girls who don't say anything to anyone.
Between 2019 and 2022, I found three sexual offences that specifically occurred in Primark 'unisex changing rooms' and those sex offenders were only the ones who had been caught.
(links)
1) primark sexual predator lured girls into changing room 2021
2) primark A CCTV image has been released after a man was seen trying to film two women using a Primark changing room. 2022
3) primark Met Police officer admits to keeping more than 1,000 indecent images of children and secretly filming woman in Primark fitting room 2022
I also did some research into other stores, like Asda and Sainsbury's who had 'Unisex fitting rooms' prior to 2019. I found sexual offences specifically in unisex changing rooms, dating back to 2010. Nine cases occurred in Asda/George and two in Sainsbury's - one of which was a male staff member who had been caught filming women in the 'mixed gender locker room' via a hidden camera in one of his shoes.
(Yes, men can buy shoes with built in cameras specifically for filming women and girls)
Asda/George and Sainsbury unisex fitting rooms
1)*asda disabled changing rooms (disabled) Voyeur who hid mini camera to spy on customers undressing in Asda disabled changing room is jailed for a year Christopher Robinson 2015
2)*Asda Prosecution solicitor David Bell told Tamworth magistrates on Wednesday, June 30, that Higgins filmed his victim over the partition in the mixed-sex changing rooms as she was undressing, gaining footage of her topless. Carl Higgins 2010
3)*asda He said she had picked out a number of bikinis to try on and took them to the unisex changing rooms. Christopher Dwyer Mr Shaw said: “She noticed in the mirror of her cubicle first a fist at the gap beneath the door. Christopher Dwyer 2014
4) *asda A photography student secretly filmed a woman with his mobile phone as she tried on underwear in a shop's changing room. Daniel Burns 2016
5) *asda A man took photographs of a woman as she tried on clothes in an Asda changing room. (no name)The voyeur is reported to have snapped a picture of her over the top of the cubicle on his mobile phone.(no name) 2016
6) *asda Father-of-one, was found naked from the waist down and committing a sex act in an adjoining cubicle at the unisex changing rooms at Asda. John Adrian Davies 2013
7) *asda Shopper took pictures of child trying on underwear in changing room cubicle Matthew Aston 2015
8) *asda Detectives in Cheshire want to trace a peeping tom who placed a camera in a unisex changing room - and unwittingly photographed himself doing it. (no name) 2012
9) **Asda 2017 A HORRIFIED mum of two caught a man filming her as she tried on underwear in the changing rooms of Asda. Jade McDaid was trying on bras at the store when she spotted a smartphone hovering over the top of the changing rooms.
*Sainsburys changing rooms also have unisex cubicles-
10) sainsbury's changing room Girl, 9, catches man filming her mum as she tried on dress in changing room at Sainsbury's, There was a mobile phone on the floor between the divider to two changing cubicles and the camera was face up. 2019
11) *sainsbuys A woman was undressing after finishing her shift when she noticed an LED light shining from a shoe which had been placed in the next cubicle in the mixed gender locker room by her colleague. 2020
The important thing to remember here, is that most girls and women would either be unaware that they are being filmed or are too traumatised to report these crimes.
*CSEW [crime survey for England & Wales] Showed that 5 in 6 (83%) victims of sexual offences did not report their experiences to police.
Also, in 2017, transport for London police stated that 90% of sexual offending on the capitals transport network goes unreported.
99% of sex offenders are male and 'low-level' sex offending is not taken seriously. 'Non-consensual filming, indecent exposure, masturbation and frotteurism' are paraphilias that harm girls and women are often a precursor to more serious offences like rape.
I have researched all levels of sex offenders for over forty years, including those who commit up-skirting, indecent exposure, masturbation, frotteurism and ejaculating onto unsuspecting females- of all ages- in public spaces, such as stores, changing rooms, toilets, public transport etc.
Most sex offenders like to film their crimes in order to re-live them and also upload them onto pornography sites. These images and videos are not just a repeated source of arousal. They obtain immense feelings of power and control over the 'victims' and enjoy sharing their 'conquests' and 'collections' with other like minded people.
There were thousands of these types of videos on pornhub, with millions of views and comments. In 2020, Mindgeek removed millions of non-consensual videos from their platform- pornhub.
In 2017/18 I had watched and analysed hundreds of these specific videos, posting many of the screen-shots onto my blog 'The violence of pornography' under the titles-
(trigger warning- images are censored)
*Pornhub eroticises and incites real sexual violence against girls and women*
'Young English Teen Up-skirt' was just one of hundreds of videos made on mobile phones by sex offenders, who uploaded them onto pornhub.
'Up-skirting' only became illegal in 2020, prior to that it was not classed as a crime.
Up-skirting prosecutions more than doubled over the second year of the legislation being in force, with CPS analysis finding at least a third of offenders are also committing other serious sexual crimes.
In total, 46 men and one teenage boy were prosecuted for 128 offences under the Voyeurism (Offences) Act between 1 April 2020 and 30 June 2021.
According to our analysis, 15 of the men prosecuted for up-skirting since last April were simultaneously charged with other sexual crimes – including child abuse, sexual assault, extreme pornography, and wider voyeurism offences.
Shops, particularly supermarkets, remain by far the most common location for up-skirting to take place, accounting for 36 per cent of offences since last spring.
UPSKIRTING: Public urged to report offenders as prosecutions double
'If Primark really cares'
I think that Primark and other stores, should acknowledge that there is a prevalence of sexual offending against girls and women, and that many of these crimes are committed within their premises. They should at least- adopt a moral obligation to the safety of girls and women (who are the majority of their customers) by ensuring a safe space for females who are particularly vulnerable when they are in a state of undress. And because 99% of sex offenders are male- to not allow males that 'identify as women' into 'women only' changing rooms, because sex offenders will go to any lengths to commit such crimes. I also think that they should provide (vetted) extra security staff on their shop floors, who are trained in these types of sexual offending.
After all, 'Primark cares'......Don't they?
Please share this on social media to let Primark know that they are not doing enough to protect females in their stores, and make girls & women aware of what could happen whilst innocently shopping.
- with the following hashtags
#BoycottPrimark
#pervmark
#PrimarkScares
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