University of Manchester academics tackle abuse of women

Dr Caroline Miles and Professor Rosemary Broad from the University of Manchester  created the recommendations based on their analysis of police data and a survey of 498 women runners.

Their findings, published by Policy@Manchester, reveal the extent of the abuse faced by women runners.

The academics found that Greater Manchester Police and Merseyside Police recorded 81 offences involving the abuse of women runners between January 1, 2021, and December 31, 2022.

Most of these offences were sexual, followed by those causing intentional harassment, alarm, and distress, and then physical assaults.

The survey of 498 women runners revealed that more than two-thirds (68 per cent) had experienced 'abusive behaviour' while out running, but only five per cent had reported their experience to the police.

Dr Caroline Miles and Professor Rosemary Broad (Image: Supplied)

They said that the most common type of abuse experienced was verbal abuse (91 per cent), although a substantial number of women also reported being followed (29 per cent), flashed at (10 per cent), and experiencing ‘other’ forms of abuse (20 per cent), the most common being abuse from men in vehicles.

Thirteen women (four per cent) said they had been physically assaulted, and seven women (2 per cent) had been sexually assaulted whilst out running.

The academics identified three key reasons why the abuse was not reported: 'the abuse of women in public being normalised, not perceiving incidents to be criminal offences and low confidence in the police.'

Based on their findings, Dr Miles and Professor Broad made six recommendations to policymakers and police forces.

They suggested making it easier for women runners to report abuse, possibly through an app, rather than directly contacting the police.

They also called on the police to encourage women to report incidents of abuse and improve communication with victims about the outcomes of investigations.

The academics believe that making it easier to report abuse and increasing confidence in the police would improve the accuracy of police data on the extent, nature, and distribution of incidents.

They suggested that this intelligence could be used to identify patterns of abuse and detect perpetrators.

Dr Miles and Professor Broad also called for more initiatives, such as Greater Manchester’s ‘Is This Okay’ campaign, to challenge the attitudes and behaviours of boys and men that contribute to gender-based violence.

They recommended better access to outdoor spaces for women to exercise, noting that women runners often experience abuse in green spaces, including parks and paths next to waterways.

Finally, they advocated for the recognition of women runners as a distinct group who frequently experience violence and abuse and need to be represented in the Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) agenda.