Disclosure of Sexual Abuse in Sport Organizations: A Case Study

Abstract

The disclosure of sexual abuse in the world of sports is a process that has not been widely documented. This article presents the results of a document analysis of sport organization policies and interviews conducted with 27 sport stakeholders. The interviews focus on these stakeholders' perceptions of how the disclosure process would unfold if a case of sexual abuse were to arise in their organization and their perceptions of the actual cases experienced in the sport organizations participating in this study. The results reveal several problems affecting the disclosure of sexual abuse in sport organizations.

Keywords:

• sexual abuse
• sport organizations
• disclosure
• policies and complaint procedures

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sylvie Parent

Sylvie Parent is currently Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Education of Laval University. She holds a PhD in educational psychology. Her research focuses on protecting athletes against various forms of violence.