JK Rowling has slammed unisex toilets in schools after hundreds of naked girls were filmed by a hidden camera in Dundee.
A 15-year-old boy was charged over the incident at a high school in the area on Tuesday, December 17, after a girl discovered a mobile phone hidden inside a toilet roll holder.
The child’s mum told the Record that her daughter has been left deeply traumatised by the incident.
She also revealed that police had informed her that hundreds of images and videos of other girls were taken by the device.
JK Rowling today joined women’s groups in criticising schools for creating an environment where “voyeurism and harassment” exist.
She said: “Who could possibly have foreseen this?
“Women who attended mixed sex schools. For years, we’ve warned unisex facilities made voyeurism and harassment laughably easy, and argued that girls deserved privacy and dignity. In return, we were called pearl-clutchers, bigots and Nazis.”
The parent, who we can only name as Emma, hit out Dundee City Council over the lack of single-sex sanitary facilities, which she believes is putting young girls at risk.
She continued: “School is meant to be the one place where we can send our children and know that they are safe but where is the safeguarding when this can happen?
“If it wasn’t for the mixed toilets then this just would never have happened.
“This is something that a lot of parents have been concerned about for a number of years and since I spoke out about what happened to my daughter, loads of people have come forward and agreed that unisex toilets are huge issue.
“This boy would simply not have had access to the girls toilets otherwise.”
John Swinney admitted to Tory leader Russell Findlay at First Minister’s Questions (FMQs) last week that girls are at risk of being photographed while using uni sex toilets in Scots schools.
Mr Findlay said girls are at risk of being photographed and scared to use these unisex facilities.
Swinney replied: “Let me make it absolutely crystal clear that any of the behaviour Mr Findlay has recounted — which I know does take place in our schools — is completely and utterly intolerable.”
Outraged campaigners are now demanding that action is taken to protect girls in school.
Susan Sinclair from Scottish Women said: “Each of the local authorities, and the Scottish Government, were made aware of the serious concerns with installing mixed sex pupil toilets in schools as far back as 2019.
“This recent incident is very disturbing and it must be very traumatic for all those involved, however it sadly comes as no surprise to those of us who have been raising the alarm for years.
“Action must be taken now to protect girls from sexual harassment and abuse happening within our schools.”
Trisha Budge from For Women Scotland said: “Our research shows that over a fifth of secondary schools in Scotland, and many primary schools, have installed mixed-sex toilets for pupils. It’s hardly surprising that incidents of bullying, voyeurism and sexual harassment are on the increase.
“We frequently hear stories of children, mainly girls, who feel too uncomfortable, embarrassed or scared to even use these toilets at school, they try not to drink anything or wait until lunchtime to go to a local cafe instead.
“The incident in the school in Dundee is just horrific and we hope this is the wake up call needed for all schools to review their policies and bring their toilets in line with the legislation that has long mandated single-sex provision.”
Don’t miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond – Sign up to our daily newsletterhere.