Majority of women experience abuse while running

A project to learn about women's experiences of abuse whilst out running has found that more than two-thirds of them have been abused in some way. The study, by Dr Caroline Miles and Professor Rose Broad from The University of Manchester, found women surveyed in Greater Manchester and Merseyside suffered from threats, verbal abuse, being flashed at, physical and sexual assaults, and having objects thrown at them while out running. 68% of the survey respondents said they had experienced some form of abusive behaviour. The most common type was verbal abuse, with 58% of the women who responded reporting that they had experienced this. However, a substantial number of women also said they had been followed whilst out running (19%), flashed at (7%), or received other types including abuse from men in vehicles (13%). 13 women said they had been physically assaulted whilst out running, and seven women had been sexually assaulted. Despite the high prevalence of abuse, 95% of women respondents who said they have experienced it said they did not report it to the police.