Lets Make Sport Safe Sheila Bouman CEO via

Let’s Make Sport Safe Sheila Bouman CEO, via. Sport

Current Priorities Transform Inclusion: to reflect the diversity of B. C. ’s population Safety: from abuse and harassment Scale Collaborate across sectors to create and implement change in the areas of: Capacity: of coaches, sport organizations and communities Alignment: from physical literacy to high performance and active for life

Abuse exists in society About 1 in 10 children will be sexually victimized before they turn 18 In the majority of cases, the offender was known to the child The majority of adult survivors of child sexual abuse report that they didn’t disclose the abuse to anyone when they were children 93% of child maltreatment cases are never brought forward to police or child welfare

Abuse exists in sport 83% of Canadian youth participate in sport of some kind 2% - 8% of minor-age athletes are victims of sexual abuse in sport Elite young athletes are more likely to be sexually assaulted than lower-level counterparts Girls are sexually abused in sport more often than boys 98% of sport environment offenders were coaches, teachers or instructors

Why is this happening? Protective coaches, volunteers & parents strive to make sport safe, but we know that: 1) Signs that someone is an offender aren’t obvious Good moral character, intact personalities, adequate social skills 2) Less than 25% of children immediately disclose being sexually assaulted Confused, embarrassed, afraid of repercussions 3) Compliance with social norms Negative attitudes and beliefs & denial Fear of action – others will question me Displaced responsibility – the child didn’t say anything Unclear processes – I don’t know who to tell

Sport sector is vulnerable Primarily volunteer based Coach is put in a position of authority and trust Minimal parental involvement Athlete fears retribution (ie - loss of their place on the team) Contact with children and families outside program hours Environment puts individuals in vulnerable situations Locker rooms (showers, changing areas, closed doors) Out of town competitions (transportation, hotels, billeting)

PSOs and clubs are vulnerable Lack of awareness of what behaviours/situations should be considered serious Lack of mechanisms to report inappropriate behaviours Inability for an organization to respond to inappropriate behaviours Culture of fear of repercussions associated with challenging someone in a position of power

“Harassment of any kind is completely unacceptable, and the safety and security of athletes, coaches and officials is always our top priority. We all must play a role in protecting our young people and our athletes: to speak up when we see something that doesn’t seem quite right and to listen— really listen—to our athletes. And most importantly, to act when the situation demands it to ensure our athletes always have the support they need from us. ” —The Honourable Kirsty Duncan, Minister of Science and Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities June 2018

National response New provisions in NSO funding Immediately disclose any incident of harassment, abuse or discrimination that could compromise the project or programming to the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities Make provisions—within their governance framework—for access to an independent third party to address harassment and abuse cases Provide mandatory training on harassment and abuse to their members by April 1, 2020

Across Canada Coaching Association of Canada Responsible Coaching Movement Swimming Canada Respect in the Workplace program Respect in Sport training Sport’Aide Support and advising services Guidance to resources British Columbia RCM Pledge: 6 MSOs, 27 PSOs, 10 LSOs BC Soccer #Respect. All Campaign

Provincial response

Partnering with experts

Leadership across the sector Awareness Prevention Detection Management Accountability

Leadership in your organization 01 Rule of Two NCCP trained or certified coaches should always be present with an athlete Background Screening Comprehensive job postings, criminal record checks, interviews and reference checks 03 02 Ethics & Respect Training NCCP Make Ethical Decisions (MED), Respect in Sport Training, Commit to Kids Training

Leadership by you Identify and reinforce healthy behaviours Establish and maintain appropriate interpersonal boundaries with athletes Keep your interactions with athletes within open environments Be a role model for the behaviours you would like to see in others If in doubt about appropriate behavior of others, discuss with the designated person within your organization

Be an Advocate Establish and protect a culture based on values of respect, safety, inclusion Reinforce healthy behaviours Promote the reality of abuse in sport – and safeguard the organization, the leaders, the children Take the Responsible Coaching Movement (RCM) Pledge – an apply the practices

Values based leadership at all levels Values Respect Safety Inclusion Sector Organization Individual