Facts & Figures

“Sexualized violence” is an umbrella term for various forms of abuse of power in which sexuality and sexual acts are instrumentalized. The basic commonality of all forms of sexualized violence is the absence of consent from person(s) affected. Acts that are considered sexualized violence include:

• Acts without direct physical contact: Verbal, mimic and gestural harassment, such as voyeurism, degradation through looks, gestures, jokes or “sayings”; showing or sending sexualized text messages, pictures or other publications with sexist content.
• Assaults with direct physical contact: Sexual touching (e.g. in the groin area, on the breasts); targeted assaults, kisses and touching on the body, up to and including attempted or completed penetration, sexual assault and rape.
• Boundary violations lie in a gray area and cannot always be clearly classified as sexual assault. A boundary violation can occur when people cross the individual boundaries of others through pedagogical misconduct. These transgressions include actions that also have a sexual component and can be intentional or unintentional, e.g. when intimate areas are touched during sports assistance or massages, hugs or kisses are exchanged, close physical contact occurs during sports practice or when changing rooms, cabins and shower rooms are entered. Whether these or similar actions constitute a boundary violation depends primarily on the subjective perception of the person concerned. The age and (power) position of the perpetrator and the person affected also play a role in the assessment of whether the behavior is a boundary violation. 

In order to be able to implement an effective protection concept and thus carry out successful prevention work, risk analyses are essential tools. As a first step, we evaluated the safety-relevant infrastructural conditions of our sports facilities in HWS 2024. The risk analysis was carried out via a survey of university sports participants and instructors in collaboration with the University of Mannheim's Quality Management. It forms an important basis for the development of protective measures and infrastructural changes in university sports. The evaluation resulted in the following topics, which we will specifically address in 2025 and 2026 in order to improve the safety of our participants and staff:

• Lighting around the sports facilities
• Safety on access routes, especially in the dark
• (Electronic) access controls
• Availability and visibility of emergency plans and equipment
• Gender-appropriate changing rooms and showers
• Low-barrier access

The results of the SicherImSport study (Rulofs, Allroggen 2022), which surveyed almost 4,400 people about their experiences of sexualized boundary violations, harassment and violence in the context of club sport, reveal worrying figures. Did you know that:

• 26% of respondents experienced sexualized boundary violations or harassment without physical contact at least once (e.g. lewd comment or unwanted text/picture message)
• 19% experienced sexualized boundary violations, harassment or violence with physical contact at least once (e.g. sexual touching or sexual acts against their will)
• 64% experienced emotional injury or violence at least once (e.g. verbal abuse, threats or exclusion)
• 37% experienced physical injury or violence at least once (e.g. being hit or shaken)?

The European research project “Outsport” (Pieper & Engler, 2019) deals with the experiences of LGBTI* people in sports.  More than 5,500 respondents from all 28 EU member states took part. The following results can be noted for Germany: 

• A fifth of respondents feel excluded from certain sports due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. Trans people feel excluded much more frequently overall (56%) – especially those with a male gender identity (73%).
• In the context of their own main sport, homophobic or transphobic language was perceived by 45% of active athletes, 78% of whom felt attacked or discriminated against as a result. Homophobic/transphobic language was mainly observed in team sports (63%) and at higher performance levels (65%).
• 16% of active athletes have had personal negative experiences in sports in the last 12 months due to their sexual orientation or gender identity. In most cases, this involved verbal hostility and structural discrimination, but verbal threats, digital bullying and physical assaults also took place. Trans people (40%) were affected more frequently overall than cis-gender people (9%).