Violence against women on UK trains is rising 

‘Many women and girls are not able to report crimes committed against them because of the many barriers preventing them from doing so such as fear of not being believed and repercussions from their abuser, and a lack of faith in the system.’

The End Violence Against Women Coalition also said that the figures were the result of women not feeling safe and supported enough to report these kinds of crimes.

Executive Director Andrea Simon told reports that ‘for most women and girls, we have experienced incidents of sexual harassment and other types of non-contact sexual offended on the transport network for a very long time. It isn’t new to many women and girls.’

These comments highlight the widespread normalisation of womens’ experiences on public transport – and within society more widely.

Too often, women who are harassed or assaulted on trains face disbelief or minimization when they report these incidents.

The pervasive culture of silence only exacerbates the problem. It’s a vicious cycle: underreporting leads to a lack of awareness, which in turn allows these crimes to continue unchecked.

A sudden rise in reported violence against women on UK trains is likely due to a number of converging factors. The pandemic saw a decrease in the number of people using public transport, a number which has now spiked in the years since.

With the return of crowds, the opportunities for such crimes have increased. There’s also the broader context of gender-based violence in the UK, which has been the subject of much public debate and protest in recent years.

The murders of Sarah Everard and Sabina Nessa have sparked nationwide conversations about women’s safety, but these horrific incidents are just the tip of the iceberg. The rise in reported cases on trains is a reflection of a society that is still grappling with deep-seated issues of misogyny and violence.

Technology, too, plays a role—both as a tool for accountability and as a double-edged sword. The rise of social media has made it easier for women to share their stories, raising awareness and encouraging others to come forward.

But technology has also facilitated new forms of harassment, from unsolicited messages to covert recording. While empowering in many ways, the digital space has also expanded the avenues through which women can be targeted.

British Transport Police say the sexual offenses recorded in their most recent report include rape, indecent exposure, and upskirting.

They have described sexual harassment as ‘behaviour of  a sexual nature which violates your dignity; makes you feel intimidated, degraded or humiliated; and creates a hostile or offensive environment.’

Last month, home secretary Yvette Cooper said ‘For far too long, violence against women and girls has been treated as an inevitability, rather than the national emergency that it is. Our mission is for the whole country to halve violence against women and girls within a decade. That has to start with drastically improving the policing and criminal justice response’.

But of course, this is not just about policing or technology – it’s about challenging the normalisation of misogyny and creating a culture that genuinely values and protects women’s rights to move freely and safely in public spaces.

The responsibility lies with all of us, from commuters to policymakers, to ensure that the next set of statistics tells a different story.