Do you remember the sex abuse conviction of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky? Or that of the allegations of sexual violence by former House Speaker Dennis J. Hastert while he served as a high school wrestling coach? If not, check out the linked articles, the stories are shocking.

These cases, and the countless more, show that sexual violence in sport is more severe and common than you might think because, despite these saddening case studies and statistics, countless instances go unreported. But thankfully we are now in a time where issues surrounding sexual violence among young athletes and their coaches, that used to be a neglected topic, are now coming to the limelight. Abusers are being caught and documented, and ultimately prosecuted, it’s our job to keep this momentum moving forwards, stay updated on predator patterns and most importantly communication to the children in youth sports and the coaches who train those children.

According to a research article funded by the German Federal Institute of Sport Science, the empirical-based study published on the topic over 2010–2019 increased by 50% compared to 2000–2009.

Little wonder Celia Brakenridge, a passionate researcher and author on sexual violence among athletes, emphasized in her research conducted in the mid 1990s to encourage other researchers to lead additional studies that will properly quantify the rate of harm that has been caused by sexual violence in sports. This effort did not go unnoticed, as subsequent research was undertaken by Celia and other associated researchers in the years that followed.

Sport and sexual violence

While youth sports are often thought of as a stable and healthful atmosphere that adds to the development of teens, different researches have proved that it unfortunately, can be an environment where violence can epitomize itself in different ways. One way is through sexual violence. It ranges from sexual harassment without consent or even body contact to transgressive characters, and also to sexual violence that involves body contact.

The World Health Organization’s 1999 definition of child sexual abuse states, “There is something familiar about all these types of unhealthful sexual relationships, they are based on sexuality plus the misuse of power.“

In a sexual violence research and studies summarized in an article with the authors: Sylvie Parent, Ph.D., Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Education, Université Laval, and Karim El Hlimi, Ph.D. student, Department of Physical Education, Université Laval, it was shown that up to 8% of minor-age athletes are victims of sexual abuse in sport with an analysis of 159 cases of sexual abuse in sport reported in print media showing the perpetrators of the abuse to be coaches, teachers, and instructors.

Strong friendships between coaches and athletes can pass as a prerequisite for promoting young athletes’ success in whichever sport they engage in. However, these close relationships have proven to bear risks that can lead to a harmful dependency and abuse of trust. A 1997 and 1994 journals titled “He owned me basically…’—women’s experience of sexual abuse in sport” and “Fair play or fair game? Child sexual abuse in sport organizations” respectively are a few journals by Celia and her close associate that proves this and brings to the limelight why these matters should never be treated with levity. From these journals we can see a strong need to carefully manage relationships, especially the close ones, between coaches and athletes.

The aftereffect is that young athletes who are victims, have intimidating and traumatizing outcomes that affects their mental health in the short and long run. Sexual violence in sport used to be a topic people rarely discussed, thankfully we are starting to see that change.

Hopefully we can see these cases drop in the future, and while it’s awful that any cases have ever happened, we can draw from past experiences and shine increasingly bright lights to illuminate these past and future cases to help children and parents be as aware as possible. Case studies are continually being conducted and reporting on important statistics to arm parents with the information they need, such as “Defining appropriateness in coach-athlete sexual relationships,” “Temporal and developmental risk factors for sexual harassment and abuse in sport,” and “Obeying until it hurts: coach-athlete relationships.”

Campaigns and rallies from individuals are on the rise as well. This is shown on various social media platforms with hashtags like #Coachdonttouchme #Sportstoo are gaining attention and popularity, following these hashtags can be a good place to see more stories from individuals and stay updated and informed.

Know your coach campaign

In curbing sexual violence between young athletes and their coaches, it is essential to know your coach. Better put, parents and guardians of young athletes should know their kids’ coaches before putting so much trust in them. It seems obvious, doesn’t it? But there very well might be something that you spot that someone else didn’t, these areas can only be spotted through getting to know the coach.

Much like Richard Strauss at Ohio State. In its annual crime report last year it states that Strauss committed at least 1,429 sexual assaults and 47 rapes during his 20-year tenure.

Here are some know-your-coach measures:

Check to see the policy during your child’s registration.

During your athletes’ registration for a team, find out what the harassment or abuse policies are. This is very important because, aside from the fact that it shows how serious an organization is about this issue, it also gives you a chance to educate them on this seriousness of the matter.

If they do not have a policy, your inquiry could educate them on why it is vital to have one. And if they do have policies in place, you can suggest additions and revisions to keep the conversation alive. Harassment and abuse policies shouldn’t a one and done deal, they need to evolve and adapt to what we are seeing happen in the world. If at the very least, a coach that plans to commit sexual atrocities or is actively doing so, may think twice the next time as pressure from within the club may be what they need to change their judgement.

Attend your child’s practices and games

Asides from your child overwhelming joy at you being at their games, you also get to watch the coach in action. This is an excellent opportunity to notice how a coach interacts with all the athletes under their care. There is no reason to hold private or closed practices, see this as a sign of extra vigilance and a warning sign of potential abuse. If, for any reason, you are asked not to attend practices, seek reasons and explanations. There may be perfectly valid reasons, but it’s always good to know and be clear upfront.

Get involved and show interest

Showing interest helps you to know your child’s coach to a certain extent. Talk to your child’s coach before starting a new season while discussing your expectations for the new season, it’s a good time to bring up the subject of physical, social and sexual abuse. While uncomfortable subjects it’s always good to communicate fears and to see how coaches respond to these types of issues.

Always communicate

It’s crucial to maintain open and frank communication with the coach to reduce sexual violence. If there are problematic issues, endeavor to talk to the coach about them. Speak up when you hear language or witness any type of behaviors that may indicate these issues. Work to alter rules you know can lead to sexual violence and adequately explain your rationale to people. If you notice any foul play, chat with the direct organization and keep clear documentation of your findings.

Conclusion

The continual rise in sexual violence among young athletes has always been a huge concern. Seeing this type of violence and misconduct with children’s coaches is shocking, these are role models who are supposed to stand in as their sports guardians. The consequences have a long-lasting traumatic effect on the victims and often affect them for the rest of their lives. It needs to stop, and it needs to be continually addressed. We all need to act and speak up until these cases are finally eradicated and children can enjoy sports without predators looking to abuse their power and take advantage of young minds and souls.

Sports Bridge provides more details on a single coach than ever before. Parents can search for sports teams they are interested in using their zip code and apply filters to those results, from there they can view a team and see details like the coaches’ gender, the coaches age, their license type a personal bio and links to their social media. Parents can now, finally arm themselves with as much information on a team and coach before even heading to the teams tryout.