(Image: NEWSQUEST)
Darlington Borough Council’s refusal to create additional changing rooms in the Dolphin Centre to protect women and girls from sexual offending is irresponsible.
They’re choosing to ignore Durham Constabulary’s recording of eight confirmed sex offence crimes in the ‘Dolly’ over the past 10 years.
Moreover, as 83 per cent of sexual violence crimes go unreported to the police every year, the figure could be as high as 40.
Women’s Rights Network FOI reports* into sex offending in leisure centre changing rooms showed that 86-88 per cent of those sexual assaults occurred in mixed-sex facilities.
The current signs and staff patrols in the ‘Changing Village’ don’t stop the filming, under cubicle doors and walls, of swimmers getting undressed.
The council knows most sex offenders are male, and most victims are female.
Gym users have separate sex changing and the centre provides female only toilets, so it’s reckless to not do the same for pool users.
The safest changing room for a woman or girl is a female-only changing room – protected from male perverts, who could otherwise film, assault or rape them.
Women and girls are being put in harm’s way because the people who should protect us are neglecting their basic safeguarding duties.
*womensrights.network/wrn-reports