Reports of rape and sexual assault in London’s fitness and leisure spaces increased by almost 80% from 2021-2023, according to latest data.
A Freedom of Information request to the Metropolitan Police revealed there were 39 such reports in 2021, 55 in 2022 and 70 in 2023, relating to locations including gyms, leisure centres and spas.
There were 28 reports between 1 January and 31 July 2024.
The data suggests reports of harassment and ‘gymtimidation’ in recent years may be the tip of the iceberg when it comes to safety in such facilities.
Ciara Madden, who owns the women-only gym Body by Ciara in Muswell Hill, Haringey, said: “It’s quite shocking to be honest.
“But I think it’s very common – if it wasn’t, women wouldn’t come to my gym in the numbers they do.”
The fitness influencer from Barnet, who has 121,000 Instagram followers, has had mostly positive experiences in mixed gyms.
However, the 34-year-old said better staff training and clearer avenues for complaints are needed.
Madden said she witnessed an elderly man expose himself in the mixed spa at a health club and confronted him.
She added: “He turned around and winked at me and said, ‘Bet you liked it, though.’”
Madden reported the incident to the health club, which carried out an investigation, “didn’t really do anything.”
She said: “It made me think, if it happened again, would I bother?
“I’m very confident and don’t feel scared easily, but it unnerved me, and I wonder how someone who was less confident or didn’t know anyone there would deal with it.”
The true number of incidents could be far higher than this data shows.
According to Rape Crisis UK, 82% of women and 80% of men who are rape victims do not report it to the police.
Madden believes it is important to talk about sexual violence against men in fitness and leisure facilities as well as women.
Across the period 1 January 2021 to 31 July 2024, women and girls were more than four times as likely to report sexual assault and almost three times as likely to report rape compared to men and boys.
Reports of sexual assault against males aged 13 or over also increased by more than 44% between 2021 and 2022, from nine to 13.
However, only seven incidents were reported in 2023, a decrease of over 46%.
Survivors UK, a charity which supports and advocates for male and non-binary victims of rape and sexual abuse, said in a statement it believed many more survivors may not have reported offences due to poor conviction rates and a fear of not being believed.
It said environments like gyms “emphasise physical strength and hyper-masculine stereotypes” and added the new data was “concerning.”
The charity welcomed steps to promote safe spaces but said staff need more training to feel empowered to handle reports.
It encouraged survivors to contact it or other organisations, such as Safeline and Rape Crisis, adding: “The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone, we believe you and there is help available.
“Do not struggle in silence.”
Kate Dale leads Sport England’s This Girl Can campaign, which encourages women and girls to be active, and said a “spectrum” of sexual violence is impacting how people of all genders engage with fitness and leisure facilities.
She said: “Everyone should feel able to exercise without fear of harassment, intimidation, sexual assault or rape.
“That should be a given, and the fact that it’s not is just horrifying.
“It only has to happen once to you or someone you know to colour your whole experience or to cause you not to go.”
Dale said women-only gyms such as Madden’s are a positive step but should not be the only solution
She said: “Surely we can’t live in a world where the only way for women to be safe is not to mix with men.”
Dale added that she is confident change can happen and urged victims to report offences to management and the police.
According to research carried out by This Girl Can and non-profit ukactive, 42% of women have experienced at least one instance of sexual harassment or intimidation in a fitness or leisure centre, such as inappropriate comments or encroachment of personal space.
This figure almost doubled for women aged 16 to 24, rising to 83%.
More than three quarters of women affected said they had changed their behaviour as a result, such as dressing differently or using facilities at different times.
In February 2024, This Girl Can launched an eight-week pilot of the Ask for Angela scheme in 11 fitness and leisure centres in south-west London.
The pilot, in partnership with organisations including the Met Police and ukactive, encouraged anyone who felt unsafe to use ‘Angela’ as a code-word to alert trained staff members.
The scheme is part of This Girl Can and ukactive’s ‘Safer Spaces to Move’ campaign, which aims to support facilities to tackle sexual harassment and intimidation.
The campaign is now working with an evaluation agency to explore next steps in the Ask for Angela project.
In a statement, ukactive said operators should take a zero-tolerance approach to sexual harassment and assault, including asking users to sign contracts forbidding illegal activity and highlighting codes of conduct.
It added anyone found to be harassing other users should have their membership paused while an investigation is carried out, with incidents reported to the police when required.
The Metropolitan Police had no specific comment on sexual offences in fitness and leisure facilities, but said in a statement that all allegations of rape and sexual assault are taken seriously.
The force said: “Officers acknowledge the profound impact on victim-survivors and are committed to supporting them through the investigative and trial process.
“Our clear message is to reach out to police or other support agencies and seek help – we will respond with sensitivity, and we will work with you to provide the appropriate support.”
