Sex crimes against women increase in Britain as one-third of sports centers don’t provide female-only spaces

More than 160 sexual crimes were committed against women across UK sports centers in 2023, with 1 in 3 centers refusing to offer single-sex privacy rooms.

The Women’s Rights Network (WRN) obtained police data revealing at least 16 rapes, 80 sexual assaults and 65 acts of voyeurism targeted women in “leisure centres” in 2023 – a rate of three crimes a week, The Telegraph reports.

The police data revealed most of the incidents occurred in mixed-sex bathrooms or locker rooms, although the reports did not specify the perpetrator’s biological sex. In seven cases (4.8%), however, the accused was a male staff member, The Telegraph reports.

Since the UK Supreme Court ruled in April that “sex” under the Equality Act references biological sex, not gender identity, many sports centers have avoided the issue altogether by providing only mixed-sex facilities, according to Sharron Davies, a former Olympic swimmer. 

“Women and girls face hidden dangers when using their local pools because mixed-sex changing rooms are proving to be a magnet for sexual predators,” Davies told The Telegraph. “Horrendous crimes, including rapes, sexual assaults and voyeurism, are occurring daily in our local swimming pool changing facilities – places where females are uniquely vulnerable.” 

WRN found 257 leisure centers across England and Wales in 2023, and one-third of them (85) only offered mixed-sex privacy rooms, The Telegraph reports. Executive Director of WRN Heather Binning said these mixed-sex rooms have “designed-in harm.” 

“It is not good enough for local authorities to ignore the biggest risk to any woman or girl when she goes swimming – the predatory male in the cubicle next door,” Binning said in a post on X. “The scale of sexual crimes in leisure centres is simply shocking. Mixed-sex changing rooms are a magnet for sexual predators and yet local councils continue to build and refurbish leisure centres with only mixed-sex changing for their swimming pool users.” 

Additionally, women who are victims of such crimes often hesitate to report the attacks. 

“I wasn’t going to tell anyone. What’s the point? Nothing will be done about it,” one victim told The Telegraph. 

Many victims suffer from extreme anxiety, emotional distress and panic attacks, according to the report. They believe keeping the incident quiet is preferable to more publicity. 

 “I feel like leaving swimming altogether now. I can’t believe someone has done this to me. I feel so embarrassed,” another victim told The Telegraph. 

Best-selling author and women’s advocate J.K. Rowling reposted The Telegraph story on X to highlight the sexual dangers the transgender movement poses to women. 

“Bear with me here, but it’s almost as though girls and women who want female-only spaces aren’t scaremongering, hysterical, lying bigots after all,” Rowling said sarcastically.