Sexual harassment and abuse in sport: The NOC*NSF helpline

Abstract

Following a high-profile case of child sexual abuse in sport in 1996, the Netherlands Olympic Committee and the Netherlands Sports Confederation (NOC*NSF) established a telephone 'helpline' service on sexual harassment and abuse (SHA). In order to expand their understanding of this problem, NOC*NSF maintained written records of incidents reported to the helpline. These records revealed 323 separate incidents for the period 2001 to 2010. This paper presents a descriptive analysis of this data and discusses the findings. We conclude that whilst there are major limitations to working with information gathered in this way, a sustainable telephone 'helpline' can provide a valuable service for the sports community. Whilst official sources of data are known to under represent the scale of sexual abuse, through collaboration with researchers, such services can also generate important information for policymakers.

International Olympic Committee consensus statement: harassment and abuse (non-accidental violence) in sport

“…Sexual harassment and abuse are perpetrated in all sports and at all levels,51 55 with prevalence of both forms higher in elite sport 12 13 49. Prevalence rates in sport vary with sexual harassment ranging from 19% to 92% and sexual abuse from 2% to 49%; this wide range of prevalence is due to differing measures and study designs 56–59.…”

“…Sexual abuse is usually preceded by a ‘grooming’ process whereby the perpetrator prepares and desensitises their victim and entices them to submit 28 29. Athletes with disabilities and LGBT athletes are more likely to be at risk of experiencing sexual abuse 13 60. Entourage members, in positions of power and authority, are often perpetrators of abuse,61 62 but peer athletes are far more likely to be perpetrators of sexual harassment than are coaches 63–65.…”

“…Certainly, a comparison could be made to issues of performance enhancing drug abuse in sport. It is important to note that prevalence data for antidoping rule violations indicate that abuse and harassment is a more widespread challenge to the elite sport community 13 64 164 165…”

“…Accepted structural components of safe sport programmes that address the social context of abuse and harassment include clear policies with associated codes of practice; systematic recruitment and background screening; education and training; complaint and support mechanisms; and monitoring and evaluation systems 6 13 170 179 192–199…”

“…More difficult to assess is whether sport is either more or less prone to such problems, for example, whether sport is especially risky or, conversely, offers any special protection 11. What is clear is that the risk of experiencing psychological, physical and sexual violence rises as the athlete progresses up the talent ladder and performance pathway,12 13 and that exposure to an abusive elite sport culture can lead to a range of mental health difficulties14 and other negative impacts (see figure 1). …”