“Reliving my experiences of abuse over and over again… why? To prove it was true? Why would I lie about something that disgusting and embarrassing? Why would I waste this much of my life working to fix the system if it wasn’t true? I am the proof. I am the truth” – (survivor of abuse in sport).
At the recent Abuse-Free Sport research symposium, recommendations for Safe Sport practitioners and researchers included increased support, guidance, and care for the victims and survivors of abuse as well as increased involvement in the work to prevent abuse and refine the process of reporting. Reporting abuse in sport can be inaccessible, confusing, and complex for victims. Victims can be afraid to report for fear of backlash and are often retraumatized by the process itself. Supporters can feel helpless to intervene, trapped by a similar power imbalance that threatens their passion for sport and need for team belonging. Inaction, bystanding, and victim shaming or blaming can prove insurmountable and devastating at times. And voices missing altogether often include those representing the child, intersectionality, and human rights.
During our 21st episode of the Sport, Leadership and Social Change webinar series hosted by Dr. Jennifer Walinga, we will be speaking with Dr. Delphine Collin-Vezina, Clinical Psychologist and Director of Center for Research on Children at McGill University, Dr. Sandra Kirby, Professor Emeritus at the University of Winnipeg and founding member of Safe Sport International, and Erin Willson, PhD Candidate at University of Toronto and current President of AthletesCAN.
Join us on January 17th to hear more about ways to build safe, abuse-free sport environments, identify and prevent abuse in sport, and better include, support, and guide victims of abuse in sport.