1. Stopping abuse and harassment in sport
Dr. Sandra Kirby
Professor Emerita
University of Winnipeg
March 20, 2019

2. Who am I? sport scientist for athlete safeguarding
Safe Sport International (SSI) Founding Board
Olympian
Researcher in safe sport since 1993
IOC Consensus Statement developments ( )
UNICEF - violence against children publications
First national study in the world on sh/a in high performance sport and first book.
Many publications

3. The Long Goal?
So all can participate in a respectful and equitable sport environment free from all forms of violence
So all participants have a positive, enabling, safe and joyful experience in sport

4. “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way it treats its children”
-Nelson Mandela

5. Safe Sport: Overview 1. Give a brief overview of the field
2. Provide definitions and their contexts in sport
3. Present baseline data – what we know from the research
4. Where do we go from here?

6. Why sport? Overview 2. Sport is
-vehicle for holistic growth and dev.; enjoyment and fulfillment
-where the children are – in every country
-important to the building of cultures, of nations
-sport is important to the ethos and future of Canada
-home to many cases of abuse of athletes, including sexual abuse
-where sport related efforts and initiatives fragmented, piece-meal and uncoordinated ( redundancy and cross-purpose; less scrutiny)
-may have a privileged status  and escape the common scrutiny

7. Overview 1. Who is more at risk?
Starting on principles
Overview 1. Who is more at risk?
Starting with the human rights perspective
UN Declaration on Human Rights and Canada as signatory
e.g. Child rights in sport linked to child rights in other domains UNCRC 1989
e.g. the Girl Child (1995)
e.g. UNCRP with Disabilities
e.g. UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms – the law
Sport in Canada – our stated values

8. Who is at risk? Elite athletes
All ages and types are susceptible to intended harm in sport – but especially:
Elite athletes
Child athletes; particularly the girl child
Para athletes
LGBT+ athletes
Indigenous athletes
Economically, geographically, linguistically, ethnically etc. marginalized
*Note: overlapping categories

9. Adults also at risk
Vulnerability is seen as situational and not explicitly that of an individual
Self-neglect
Domestic abuse
Discriminatory
Organisational
Physical
Sexual
Financial/material
Neglect and acts of omission
Emotional or psychological
(Reference, UK legislation, the Care Act 2014)
Note that moved away from Safeguarding Vulnerable Adults: vulnerability is seen as situational and not explicit to the individual.
IOC Consensus statement includes groups of athletes who are at a higher risk of harm
Mechanisms for harm: contact, non-contact/verbal; cybercontact; neglect; negligence; bullying; hazing
Types of Abuse and Neglect - Definitions from the Care Act 2014 (and possible indicators in sport)
Self-neglect – this covers a wide range of behaviour: neglecting to care for one’s personal hygiene, health or surroundings and includes behaviour such as hoarding. In (insert name of your sport) this could be a player whose appearance becomes unkempt, does not wear suitable sports kit and deterioration in hygiene.
This is not intended to be an exhaustive list but an illustrative guide as to the sort of behaviour or issue which could give rise to a safeguarding concern.
Modern Slavery – encompasses slavery, human trafficking, forced labour and domestic servitude. Traffickers and slave masters use whatever means they have at their disposal to coerce, deceive and force individuals into a life of abuse, servitude and inhumane treatment. In (insert name of your sport) you may notice that a participant in a team has been missing from practice sessions and is not responding to reminders from team members or coaches.
Domestic Abuse – including psychological, physical, sexual, financial and emotional abuse. It also includes so called 'honour' based violence. Sport may notice a power imbalance between a participant and a family member. For example a participant with Downs syndrome may be looking quiet and withdrawn when their brother comes to collect them from sessions, in contrast to their personal assistant whom they greet with a smile.
Discriminatory – discrimination is abuse which centres on a difference or perceived difference particularly with respect to race, gender or disability or any of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act. This could be the harassing of a club member because they are or are perceived to be transgender
Organisational Abuse – including neglect and poor care practice within an institution or specific care setting such as a hospital or care home, for example, or in relation to care provided in one’s own home. This may range from one off incidents to on-going ill-treatment. It can be through neglect or poor professional practice as a result of the structure, policies, processes and practices within an organisation. In (insert name of your sport), this could be training without a necessary break.
Physical Abuse – includes hitting, slapping, pushing, kicking, misuse of medication, restraint or inappropriate sanctions. This could be a coach intentionally striking an athlete.
Sexual Abuse – including rape, indecent exposure, sexual harassment, inappropriate looking or touching, sexual teasing or innuendo, sexual photography, subjection to pornography or witnessing sexual acts, indecent exposure and sexual assault or sexual acts to which the adult has not consented or was pressured into consenting.
This could be a fellow athlete who sends unwanted sexually explicit text messages to a learning disabled adult they are training alongside.
Financial or Material Abuse – including theft, fraud, internet scamming, coercion in relation to an adult’s financial affairs or arrangements, including in connection with wills, property, inheritance or financial transactions, or the misuse or misappropriation of property, possessions or benefits.
This could be someone taking equipment from an athlete with dementia.
Neglect – including ignoring medical or physical care needs, failure to provide access to appropriate health social care or educational services, the withholding of the necessities of life, such as medication, adequate nutrition and heating.
This could be a coach not ensuring athletes have access to water.
This could be an athlete threatening another athlete with physical harm and persistently blaming them for poor performance.
Emotional or Psychological Abuse – this includes threats of harm or abandonment, deprivation of contact, humiliation, blaming, controlling, intimidation, coercion, harassment, verbal abuse, isolation or withdrawal from services or supportive networks.
Cyber Bullying - cyber bullying occurs when someone repeatedly makes fun of another person online or repeatedly picks on another person through s or text messages, or uses online forums with the intention of harming, damaging, humiliating or isolating another person. It can be used to carry out many different types of bullying (such as racist bullying, homophobic bullying, or bullying related to special educational needs and disabilities) but instead of the perpetrator carrying out the bullying face-to-face, they use technology as a means to do it.
Not included in the Care Act 2014 but also relevant:
Forced Marriage - forced marriage is a term used to describe a marriage in which one or both of the parties are married without their consent or against their will. A forced marriage differs from an arranged marriage, in which both parties consent to the assistance of a third party in identifying a spouse. The Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 make it a criminal offence to force someone to marry.
Mate Crime - a ‘mate crime’ as defined by the Safety Net Project is ‘when vulnerable people are befriended by members of the community who go on to exploit and take advantage of them. It may not be an illegal act but still has a negative effect on the individual.’ Mate Crime is carried out by someone the adult knows and often happens in private. In recent years there have been a number of Serious Case Reviews relating to people with a learning disability who were murdered or seriously harmed by people who purported to be their friend.
Radicalisation - the aim of radicalisation is to attract people to their reasoning, inspire new recruits and embed their extreme views and persuade vulnerable individuals of the legitimacy of their cause. This may be direct through a relationship, or through social media.

10. 2. Definitions: what harm?
The IOC Consensus Statement: harassment and abuse (non-accidental violence) in sport 2016 (Canadians Kirby, Mountjoy)
Psychological– THE gateway to non-accidental violence  intended harms
Non-sexual and gender harassment – e.g. Pasternak twins…
Sexual harassment and abuse
Racial and homophobic discrimination
Physical abuse & forced exertion (physical, deprivation, dangerous training)
Neglect
Interpersonal violence – bullying and hazing
Disordered eating
Self-harm
2016 consensus statement broadest statement of its kind WRT abuse & non-accidental violence.
It recognizes that elite athletes, child athletes, those with an impairment and LGBT athletes have an increased risk of harm.
Recognises that other athletes (peers) can be perpetrators
It identifies psychological abuse as the core of all other forms of non-accidental violence and advocates for a multi-agency approach to address abuse.
It recommends that all Sports Organizations
Implement and monitor policies and procedures for safe sport that:
▸ State that all athletes have a right to be treated with respect, protected from non-accidental violence;
▸ State that the welfare of athletes is paramount; ▸ Identify who has responsibility for implementation; ▸ Specify what constitutes a violation and specify the range
of consequences; ▸ Detail a response system for handling athlete/whistleblower
concerns and complaints, with reporting and referral
mechanisms and a neutral resolution mechanism; ▸ Provide details of where to seek advice and support for
all parties involved in a referral or complaint. 2. Deliver an education programme for all main stakeholders about how to engage in the practicalities of preventing non-
accidental violence to athletes. 3. Appoint or work with qualified, designated personnel
responsible for safe sport programming and athlete welfare. 4. Listen to the voices of athletes in decision-making about
their own protection. 5. Foster strong partnerships with athletes’ parents/caregivers to
promote safe sport. 6. Partner with expert groups and stakeholders to follow a sys-
thematic multidisciplinary, multiagency approach. This may include law enforcement, media, medical, child protection, counselling and support or other groups.
Athletes
7. Know your rights and responsibilities with regard to the prevention and reporting of non-accidental violence.
8. Identify your support systems among and beyond entourage members.
9. Support your peers and encourage them to speak out if they witness or experience non-accidental violence.
10. Negotiate for a voice in decision-making about your own protection.

11. Safe Sport definitions: BJSports-2016-Sept-50-17-1010-F1

12. 3 more terms
Gender-based violence  Abuse of power and control over another person based upon their gender identity, gender expression or perceived gender
The Government of Canada’s It’s Time: Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence (2017) laid our foundation to build upon existing efforts and sets a direction for further research and practice. 
Non-accidental harm  perpetrated against athletes knowingly or deliberately or negligently (Brackenridge, 2016:3)
Runs counter to successful athletic performance
Maltreatment Volitional acts that have the potential to result in harm
Intent of the perpetrator is irrelevant in all cases

13. 3. Baseline data
22.8% high performance athletes had sexual intercourse with persons in authority over them in sport (Kirby)
2-8% of children in sport are victims of sexual abuse (Parent)
81% of 10,000 participants experienced homophobia in sport (7 countries); verbal (13-16%), physical (13-23%), 86-89% LGBT* closeted; unsafe 70% (with Kirby, Demers expert panel)
65-85% Canadian athletes experience psychologically abusive coaching practices (Kerr & Stirling)
In Canada, Indigenous students in Residential Schools (Truth and Reconciliation report, Canada) – levels unknown
Disabled 31% vs 9% non-disabled children victimized (about 4x) (Sullivan & Knutson)

14. Recent data from Belgium [Vertommen et al., 2015]
Type of IV
TOTAL SAMPLE %
N = 4043
ETHNIC MINORITY
N=334
LGB
ATHLETES
N=308
ELITE
N = 112
DISABLED ATHLETES
N=183
Psychological
Moderate or severe experiences
26,1
24,8
34,6*
42,0*
41,6*
Physical
10,2
16,4*
18,2*
23,2*
30,3*
Sexual
12,8
17,6*
24,4*
25,9*
31,4*

15. Stage of Imminent Achievement: Brackenridge and Kirby
This is the most vulnerable point in a child athlete's career, where a coach has maximum power.
The coach decides who gets funding and who makes the national team. As a young athlete, you're just on the verge of success and at the point where everything has been invested; time, money, parental effort, your effort, and the mindset is, you'll do anything to get there.
This point may be the most vulnerable for other risks too such as overtraining, doping, mental health issues etc

16. The child athlete
Exposure to sexual violence
-29% - 51% all athletes experience unwanted sexual comments/advances (CAN figures 2000; NOR figures 2002)
8.6% athletes sexually assaulted under age 16 (CAN 2000) – rates 2-20% (Brackenridge et al 2008)

17. The athletes with impairments
Psychological abuse: 49.7% (all – 32.4%)
Physical harm: 32.4% (all -11.3%)
Sexual harm: 33.5% (all 14.3%)
(Vertommen et al 2016); Yetsa/Kirby et al 2019)
Exclusions and discriminations in sport (Hargreaves, 2000)

18. Para athletes NOTE: Higher status in sport, than outside sport
Bullying behaviours by peer athletes (social exclusion, body talk, ‘you are worthless’)
-tend to “internalize pain … self blame”
-intellectually and dev. impaired athletes’ desire for friendship is greater so athletes would complain less
-large proportion visually impaired athletes report having been bullied –  verbal attacks, low supervision areas
-may initiate fights to become bully (v  bully, as a defence)

19. Canada - Manitoba In Canada – CBC cases athletes under 18
340 coaches  600 athletes; 222 convictions (213 men; 9 women)
Sports ---most sports which serve youth, many involve schools “coaches” or “teacher/coaches”
Manitoba works hard on safe sport!
Manitoba - 10 cases: 6 convictions, 1 pending
In Sport Manitoba Support Line (Dec – Dec 2018)
142 complaint-based calls/ +11 e- mails
Verbal/emotional maltreatment by coach of youth athlete 30%
Bullying/peer harassment 25%
Team selection/playing time 16%
Adult bullying 9%
Hazing 5%
Spectator abuse/harassment 4%
Other 4.5%