Experts say that if the answer to any of the following questions is "yes," a coach may be sexually abusing a player.
"A teenager can stop sexual harassment before it starts," says Todd Crosset, an assistant professor of sports management at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst and a leading expert on coach-athlete relationships. "Abusive coaches will test the waters, but if you put up any sort of resistance, they'll back off."
Be vigilant and talk to your child. If you see one or more of these signs, it does not automatically mean that your child has been abused.
Remember, though, if you have reasonable grounds to suspect that a child may be the victim of sexual abuse, you must report it immediately to your local child protection agency or the police.
Brooke de Lench is the Founding Executive Director of MomsTeam Institute, Inc. and the SmartTeams program initiative, author of Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports (Harper Collins) and Coalition Member: UNICEF International Safeguards of Children in Sports. de Lench writes and speaks often on the topic of preventing sexual abuse in sports.
Links:
[1] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/sexual-abuse/prevent-sexual-abuse-by-setting-boundaries-at-preseason-meeting
[2] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/ways-parents-can-help-prevent-sexual-harassment-and-abuse-in-youth-sports
[3] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/sexual-abuse-of-boys-in-sports-does-the-sports-culture-itself-play-a-role
[4] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/sexual-abuse-boys-in-sports-is-homophobia-a-factor-in-continued-abuse-delayed-reporting