Part 3 GLOBAL ISSUES: HARASSMENT AND ABUSE RESEARCH

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It was more emotional, everything he did … he’d put me down, he’d really put me down as an athlete and then build me up with his affection and then it got really confusing and I didn’t know the difference, if he was a coach or somebody who was just playing with my emotions (Female athlete) Fear I didn’t feel like I could tell …’cause not only would I lose my sport, but I was scared of what would happen. I think, you know, I wasn’t thinking that logically … at the time I was just so confused. I was just really confused … (Female athlete) Entrapment …s o what do you do when you trusted this person, and you’ve got all this at your feet like your sport and a whole bunch of new friends, so what are you going to do? … it’s just your word against his … and you don’t know, maybe it happens to everybody. Maybe this is the way it goes … (Male athlete) The bystander effect The prevalence of the ‘bystander effect’ compounded long-term psychological harm for sexually abused athletes. The bystander effect refers to the situation where the victim perceived that others, who knew about, (or suspected) the sexual abuse, did not do anything about it. A female athlete, sexually abused by her coach who was simultaneously abusing others in the team, provides a distressing account of the bystander effect: They saw things that were wrong, and they didn’t do anything about it … this is very bad, not only the fact that I fell out of a sport that should have protected me … I lost so. I lost my relationship with my family ... I could have saved a few years of my life. (Female athlete) Athletes’ experiences of the bystander effect make clear the distressamplifying impact of abandoning the victim to isolation and silence. The apparent lack of systemically sanctioned accountability in relation to the power of the coach-perpetrator appeared to influence other adults in the competitive sport environment. These included coaching and other support 28
staff or volunteers who were not as senior in the competitive sport hierarchy as the perpetrator. This was especially notable in the elite sport context (“’cause we were so elite and no one ever questioned what we were doing.”). Non-intervention by other adults in a young person’s environment is likely to be interpreted as meaning that those adults are also powerless in relation to the perpetrator. For children, disclosure may be preempted if the child believes, or is aware that other adults know about the abuse. 15 If observing adults take no action, the child may assume that the behaviour is socially acceptable, or in the case of older children, as mentioned above, that perpetrator’s message that he is omnipotent is really true and that therefore they really are trapped. 16 Reflections <strong>Part</strong>icularly evident from the data in this study was the manner in which certain aspects of the culture of competitive sport provide an environment which facilitates, rather than inhibits, the sexually abusive strategies used by people in positions of authority and trust. One of the more urgent implications arising from this study is the need to eliminate apparently-accepted, psychologically abusive coaching styles. Psychological abuse was clearly, and uniquely implicated in long-term negative traumatic outcome in the group of athletes who participated in this study, even where no sexual abuse had occurred. It also effectively masks sexual offender behaviours which rely on psychological abuse and emotional manipulation as primary strategies. To overcome the bystander effect, comprehensive and ongoing sexual abuse awareness education is imperative for all those involved in organised sport in Australia, including athletes, parents and all associated support personnel. <strong>Part</strong>icularly, it is the responsibility of adults in the system to ensure children’s safety. This responsibility should not be relegated to the children themselves. We need to understand that silencing is an integral, not separate part of the sexual abuse experience. Non-disclosure is the norm. Every person in the athletes’ entourage has a right to be informed and specifically empowered to act to safeguard athletes’ welfare through clear guidelines and procedures. 29
Page 1 and 2: Part 3 GLOBAL ISSUES: HARASSMENT AN
Page 3 and 4: It was in the middle of these early
Page 5 and 6: more likely to be harassed and/or a
Page 7 and 8: The survey revealed a considerable
Page 9 and 10: 8. Kirby, S.L. and Greaves, L. ‘F
Page 11 and 12: Research clearly indicates that rel
Page 13 and 14: performance. Items thrown by the co
Page 15 and 16: High Low Figure 3.1 Athletes’ exp
Page 17 and 18: 3.3 Sexual harassment and abuse in
Page 19 and 20: variables:1) formation of the sport
Page 21 and 22: een harassed and abused by a coach.
Page 23 and 24: The results show that 30% of the st
Page 25 and 26: 3.4 Sexual abuse of athletes in org
Page 27: conversely, to present the perpetra
Page 31 and 32: 3.5 Sexual harassment and abuse in
Page 33 and 34: automatically mean that he/she will
Page 35 and 36: councilors of NOC*NSF. Solid resear
Page 37 and 38: non-aggressors. Such variables are
Page 39 and 40: 3.6 Risks and opportunities for sex
Page 41 and 42: under the three major headings of
Page 43 and 44: These findings indicated that clubs
Page 45 and 46: Whilst 8% of sports clubs knew of s
Page 47 and 48: 3.7 Sexual harassment among female
Page 49 and 50: slapped on the face, head or ears b
Page 51 and 52: When I was not getting as good achi
Page 53 and 54: 3.8 Unwanted sexual experiences in
Page 55 and 56: 18-21 years old). The VUBrussels sa
Page 57 and 58: Coach behaviour Perceptions Experie
Page 59 and 60: However, KULeuven students’ perce
Page 61 and 62: 7. Leahy, T., Pretty, G., and Tenen
Page 63 and 64: Nineteen male swimming coaches part
Page 65 and 66: this study. 14 It is important to n
Page 67 and 68: Finally, it is important to note th
Page 69 and 70: 3.10 What price gold medals? An inv
Page 71 and 72: The research that supported and und
Page 73 and 74: symptoms. Lastly, this will only oc
Page 75 and 76: The results from this study may lea
Page 77: i NIF, Årsrapport 2006 - Norges Id

Part 3 GLOBAL ISSUES: HARASSMENT AND ABUSE RESEARCH

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