The recent allegations against five members of the 2018 gold medal-winning Canadian junior hockey team in reference to an alleged sexual assault Hockey in Canada and its problems again in the public eye.
Woman sued Hockey Canada in 2022claiming that she experienced sexual violence in the hotel room eight Canadian Hockey League playersa few of whom were members of the 2018 world junior team.
In a lawsuit filed in April 2022the woman accused Hockey Canada of failing to address systemic abuse inside her organization and supporting “a culture and environment that glorifies the degradation and sexual exploitation of young women.”
The police discontinued the investigation in 2019 but resumed it in 2022, which led to: suspension of the 2018 world junior team from international tournaments and the latest allegations.
Hockey Canada also faced criticism in May 2022 when news broke that it had paid off $8.9 million in sexual abuse settlements since 1989 (excluding an undisclosed settlement in a $3.5 million lawsuit alleging assault in 2018).
While news of this case continues to raise essential questions on systemic failures inside Hockey Canada, many are wondering what may be done to prevent future gender-based and sexual violence.
As a public educator and researcher who has worked with men and boys on violence prevention for eight years, I urge us to spend money on programs proven to work to reduce rates of violence and harassment in sports.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins
There is a scarcity of accountability in hockey in Canada
Hockey Canada’s response to the scandal has been largely reactive, which is typical of institutions facing mounting public pressure.
But as some critics have already expressed thistheir plans lack transparency, accountability and foresight when it comes to stopping violence. As reported by Hockey Canada in November 2023 haven’t released their third-party report on the alleged 2018 sexual assault Publicly.
But they said they took it measures to solve this problemincluding the implementation of a compulsory inspection process, the adoption of a code of conduct, a 3rd party complaints process and anti-violence training during key tournaments. It is uncertain whether these measures might be effective.
Spectrum of violence
This problem for Hockey Canada isn’t isolated; There were a lot of them high-profile cases of domestic and sexual violence in skilled and competitive sports, including claims of bullying, harassment and sexual violence up to amateur level.
Gender-based violence doesn’t occur in a vacuum; thrives in environments that facilitate this – especially haze normalization which are based on sexism, racism and homophobia.
Research shows this one in three coaches in Ontario they’re aware of hazing rituals of their teams. One in five people has heard sexist, racist or homophobic language of their organization or at competitions.
These practices often go unchallenged because coaches either feel ill-equipped to address them or share the belief that hate is only a part of sports culture or team constructing.
However, we all know it could possibly have an effect terrible consequences on health, well-being and overall participation in sport.
Sometimes hazing rituals can do that escalate into sexual assault on hockey teams. Practices comparable to hazing create an environment where possibly misogyny, homophobia and racism turn into tangible types of violence outside the locker room.
Efforts to solve these problems often involve framing the problem as one attributable to a couple of “bad apples.” However, this approach ignores the normalization of those practices and bystander behaviors that allow them to proceed unabated.
Violence prevention programs
In my experience running gender-based violence prevention programs with young athletes, I find that many initially oppose violence prevention programs because they’re perceived as denigrating boys and men.
However, research shows this gender-sensitive programs delivered in youth have a few of the most positive effects changing misogynistic attitudes, reducing cases of abuse AND improving the intervention behavior of bystanders.
These programs are especially effective after they are persisting for longer periods of timeconcentrate on gender news and happen in key places comparable to schools or sports facilities.
These findings contradict current models for stopping violence in skilled or competitive sports, comparable to: Mandatory OHL traininga two-hour workshop for brand spanking new players on sexual violence.
Counteracting violence in sport
To meaningfully address violence in sport, Gender-based violence programs have to be ongoing and dynamic as an alternative of being treated as a daily checkbox.
An example of such a program is Coaching boys into menprogram created by non-profit Futures Without Violence it was Piloted in Hamilton, Ont.
(Maddie Brockbank)
Boys Into Men Coaching prepares coaches for fifteen-minute weekly conversations for 3 months with teams of adolescent boys about consent, healthy relationships and opposing harmful behaviors.
Those who complete the program are less likely to commit harassment they usually are intervenes far more often if they see harm happening.
Instead of viewing violence prevention as a blame game, we must always view it as a hopeful endeavor that focuses on the humanity and well-being of our athletes and communities. Investing in evidence-based and sustainable violence prevention is essential to ensuring it ends.
