Adult Abuse in Sport
Adults can experience harm from physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, financial abuse, institutional abuse, neglect and exploitation.
Who may be at risk of harm?
The majority of adults involved in sport live full, independent lives free from harm caused by abuse, exploitation or neglect. However, some adults, for a variety of reasons, have been harmed or may be at risk of harm.
An adult may be ‘at risk of harm’ becuase of their personal characteristics and/or life circumstances, which may increase exposure to harm either becuase a person may be unable to protect themselves or their situation may provide opportunities for others to neglect, exploit or abuse them.
An adult may be ‘in need of protection’ where they are also unable to protect their own wellbeing, property, assets, rights or other interests; and where the action or inaction of another person or persons is causing or is likely to cause them harm.
In sport, it’s important to think about all the adults your organisation is interacing with – any adult could be a risk of harm or in need of protection, depending on their personal characteristics and live circumstances at a particular time. If your organisation fails to run programmes and activities safety, that can also increase risk of harm to the adults involved.
It is important to be vigilant for signs of adult abuse and any poor practice within your organisation, and to report any concerns you have to the relevant person.
What is abuse?
Abuse is a single or repeated act, or lack of appropriate action, occurring within any relationship where there is an expectation of trust, which causes harm or distress to another individual or violates their human or civil rights. Abuse is the misuse of power and control that one person has over another. It can involve direct and indirect contact and can include online abuse.
You might notice physical and/or behavioural signs that suggest abuse is occurring or has occurred, or an adult may make a disclosure of abuse to you. The abuser might be a spouse/partner, son/daughter, parent/carer, another relative, friend, neighbour, professional, member of staff/volunteer in your organisation, peer, or (less commonly) a stranger.
Any adult can experience abuse – within sport this could be a staff member/volunteer, an official, a coach, an athlete, a spectator or a member of the public. It can happen in a sports setting, or outside of this – in the person’s home, in work or an educational setting, in an institutional setting, or in a public place.
Physical abuse is the use of physical force or mistreatment of one person by another which may or may not result in actual physical injury. This may include hitting, pushing, rough handling, exposure to heat or cold, force feeding, improper administration of medication, denial of treatment, misuse or illegal use of restraint and deprivation of liberty.
Some examples in a sporting context – a physical assault, forcing adults to train through serious injuries or illness, or where the nature and the intensity of the training or competition exceed the capacity of the person, or using excessive or dangerous physical punishment as part of training.
Possible indicators include unexplained injuries such as bruising, cuts, burns, frequent injuries that don’t match the sport activity, untreated injuries, or delayed medical care.
Sexual abuse is any behaviour (physical, psychological, verbal, virtual/online) perceived to be of a sexual nature which is controlling, coercive exploitative, harmful or unwanted that is inflicted on anyone (irrespective of age, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any form of disability).
It may involve physical contact, including but not limited to non-consensual penetrative sexual activities or non-penetrative sexual activities, such as intentional touching (known as groping). It can involve non contact sexual activities such as indecent exposure, stalking, grooming, being made to look at or be involved in the production of sexually abusive material or being made to watch sexual activities.
Some examples in a sporting context – unwanted touching, sexual comments, or inappropriate physical contact, sending unwanted sexually explicit messages or images, upskirting or downblousing, sextortion, pressuring or manipulating an athlete into sexual acts in exchange for selection, playing time or career advancement, or invading privacy in changing rooms or showers. It also includes engaging in sexual activity with someone who lacks the capacity to consent.
Possible indicators include difficulty participating physically, frequent absence from sport, withdrawal from teammates or social activities, changes in mood, or self-harming behaviours.
Psychological/emotional abuse is behaviour that is psychologically harmful or inflicts mental distress by threat, humiliation, or other verbal/non-verbal conduct. This may include threats, humiliation or ridicule, provoking fear of violence, shouting, yelling and swearing, blaming, controlling, intimidation and coercion.
Some examples in a sporting context – a staff member/volunteer constantly shouting, belittling or humiliating an adult in front of others, a coach threatening to remove funding, selection or playing time unless the athlete complies with demands, bullying, name-calling, mocking an athlete’s appearance, ability, or personal life, or forced initiation rituals and degrading acts.
Possible indicators include low self-esteem or loss of confidence, fear of making mistakes during training or competition, being eager to please someone, loss of enjoyment in the sport, change in eating or sleeping habits, or decline in attendance or performance.
Financial Abuse is actual or attempted theft, fraud or burglary. It is the misappropriation or misuse of money, property, benefits, material goods or other asset transactions which the person did not or could not consent to, or which were invalidated by intimidation, coercion or deception. This may include exploitation, embezzlement, withholding pension or benefits or pressure exerted around wills, property or inheritance.
Some examples in a sporting context – pressuring an athlete to pay excessive or hidden training fees, misusing team or club funds intended for athlete support, a coach or agent taking a disproportionate share of winnings, fraud and scams, or restricted access to money or accounts.
Possible indicators include financial worry or stress, large transfers of money or missing money or possessions, new credit cards or loads taken out, debt, struggling to pay bills or changes in appearance or living conditions.
Neglect occurs when a person deliberately withholds, or fails to provide, appropriate and adequte care and support which is required by another adult. It may be through a lack of knowledge or awareness, or through a failure to take reasonable action given the information and facts available to them at the time.
It may include physical neglect to the extent that health or well-being is impaired, administering too much or too little medication, failure to provide access to appropriate health or social care, withholding the necessities of life, such as adequate nutrition, heating or clothing, or failure to intervene in situations that are dangerous to the person concerned or to others, particularly where the person lacks the capacity to assess risk.
Some examples in a sporting context – not providing adequate medical attention after an injury, ignoring safety regulations or protective equipment requirements, forcing athletes to complete when injured, exposing a person to a dangerous situation (e.g. leaving them unsupervised), or where a person’s individual needs or intimate care needs are not met.
Possible indicators include loss of weight, pain, frequent injuries, failing health, no rest days or recovery periods for athletes, or burn out and exhaustion.
Institutional abuse is normally associated with the mistreatment or neglect of an adult by a regime or individuals in settings which adults who may be at risk reside in or use. This can happen in any organisation, within and outside Health and Social Care (HSC) provision.
Institutional abuse may occur when the routines, systems and regimes result in poor standards of care, poor practice and behaviours, inflexible regimes and rigid routines which violate the dignity and human rights of the adults and place them at risk of harm.
Institutional abuse may occur within a culture that denies, restricts or curtails privacy, dignity, choice and independence. It involves the collective failure of a service provider or an organisation to provide safe and appropriate services, and includes a failure to ensure that the necessary preventative and/or protective measures are in place.
Some examples in a sporting context – the organisation ignoring or dismissing complaints or reports of adult abuse, covering up complaints, failing to act on adult safeguarding concerns, prioritising success or reputation over athlete welfare, power imbalances between coaches/officials and athletes, poor practice and behaviours from staff/volunteers, or a culture of silence and fear.
Possible indicators include lack of leadership in adult safeguarding, lack of training, lack of policies and robust procedures, failure to follow safeguarding procedures, multiple complaints about the same person or issue, athletes leaving the sport suddenly or in large numbers, or failure to address poor behaviour.
Exploitation is the deliberate maltreatment, manipulation or abuse of power and control over another person; to take advantage of another person or situation usually, but not always, for personal gain from using them as a commodity. It may manifest itself in many forms including slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, domestic violence and abuse, sexual violence and abuse, or human trafficking.
Exploitation in a sporting context includes when someone in power takes unfair advantage of another person for personal, financial, or performance gain e.g. a coach taking advantage of an athlete for performance gain. This can be financial, sexual or emotional in nature, and can incorporate any of the examples and indicators outlined in the other categories of abuse.
There are related definitions which interface with Adult Safeguarding, each of which have their own associated adult protection processes in place.
Domestic violence and abuse is threatening, controlling, coercive behaviour, violence or abuse (psychological, virtual, physical, verbal, sexual, financial or emotional) inflicted on anyone (irrespective of age, ethnicity, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or any form of disability) by a current or former intimate partner or family member. Domestic violence and abuse is essentially a pattern of behaviour which is characterised by the exercise of control and the misuse of power by one person over another. It is usually frequent and persistent. It can include violence by a son, daughter, mother, father, husband, wife, life partner or any other person who has a close relationship with the victim. It occurs right across society, regardless of age, gender, race, ethnic or religious group, sexual orientation, wealth, disability or geography.
Hate crime is any incident which constitutes a criminal offence perceived by the victim or any other person as being motivated by prejudice, discrimination or hate towards a person’s actual or perceived race, religious belief, sexual orientation, disability, political opinion or gender identity.
Human trafficking/Modern slavery involves the acquisition and movement of people by improper means, such as force, threat or deception, for the purposes of exploiting them. It can take many forms, including forced criminality and sexual exploitation.
