Campaign launched to prevent gender-based violence in sport

LA Trobe University has joined with community sports organisation Sports Focus to launch a campaign aimed at helping prevent gender-based violence in regional sport across the region.

The Supporting the Readiness of Regional Sports to prevent and respond to Gender Based Violence campaign hopes to identify, raise awareness, tackle, and prevent gender-based violence in sport.

Women in rural and regional areas are said to be at a higher risk of experiencing gender-based violence than women in other areas and such violence is prevalent in regional community sport.

La Trobe University research lead associate Professor Kirsty Forsdike said women often faced disrespect, abuse and violence in sports settings.

She added that this could range from inequalities and sexist comments to sexual assault, all of which is often normalised and ignored.

“This is a particularly insidious problem in rural and regional areas where sports participants are so connected across their sport, family, social and work lives,” she said.

“People feel that speaking up could lead to being judged and socially isolated by their friends, neighbours and workmates, but our campaign aims to support people to speak up when they see gender-based violence in sport and to support our sports organisation to respond.”

The awareness campaign’s slogan is ‘We see something. We say something. We do something’ and outlines common scenarios in a range of videos and posters that local sporting clubs are encouraged to share and display.

Campaign resources including the videos and posters are available on the Sports Focus website.