Women and Girls at Risk in UK Sports Centres, Report Finds

Photo: Womens Rights Network/Facebook

LONDON — Women and girls are being put at risk in mixed-sex changing rooms at sports centres, with new police data revealing dozens of sexual offences in 2023. The Women’s Rights Network (WRN) report, based on freedom of information requests covering 257 leisure centres across England and Wales, found at least 16 rapes, 80 sexual assaults, and 65 acts of voyeurism, most occurring in mixed-sex areas.

Campaigners, including former Olympic swimmer Sharron Davies, described mixed facilities as “a magnet for sexual predators” and urged local authorities to provide single-sex changing areas. One-third of leisure centres currently offer no female-only facilities, despite a Supreme Court ruling confirming that “sex” in the Equality Act refers to biological sex.

Victims reported lasting trauma, including nightmares and panic attacks, and the WRN warned that crimes are likely under-reported as women avoid pools rather than report assaults. The report calls for new and existing facilities to be redesigned to prioritize the safety of female users and prevent avoidable abuse.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a judge allowed a sex abuse survivor's defamation suit against Gateway Church to proceed.

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