Occurs when a person in a position of power, authority or trust such as a parent or coach purposefully injures or threatens to injure a child
Takes many forms, including any of the following:
Slapping
Hitting
Shaking
Throwing equipment
Kicking
Pulling hair
Pulling ears
Striking
Shoving
Grabbing
Hazing
Punishing "poor" play or rules violations through the use of excessive exercise (extra laps etc.) or by denying fluids [1]
Occurs when a person in a position of power, authority or trust engages in "sexualized" touching or sex with a child
"Sexualized touching" is where touching, instead of being respectful and nurturing, is done in a sexual manner. Examples include:
Fondling instead of a hug
Long kiss on the lips instead of a peck on the cheek
Your child is being harassed when she or he is threatened, intimidated, taunted, or subjected to racial, homophobic, or sexist slurs. Sexual harassment includes comments, contact or behavior of a sexual nature that is offensive, uninvited or unwelcome.
Neglect is a chronic inattention to the basic necessities of life such as supervision, medical and dental care, adequate rest, safe environment, exercise, and fresh air.
Neglect in a sports setting make take the following forms:
Injuries are not properly treated
Athletes are forced to play hurt
Equipment is inadequate, poorly maintained or unsafe
According to a widely reported 1993 survey conducted by the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission:
Almost half (45.3%) of those surveyed (both males and females) said they had been emotionally abused while participating in sports (i.e. called names, yelled at, or insulted);
Slightly more than 1 out of 6 (17.5%) said they had suffered physical abuse while playing sports (i.e. hit, kicked or slapped.
More than 1 in 5 (21%) said they had been suffered neglect while playing sports (pressured to play with an injury)
1 in 12 (8%) said they had been sexually harassed while playing sports (called names with sexual connotations)
Twelve years later, a 2005 study by researchers at the University of Missouri, the University of Minnesota, and Notre Dame University reported in the Journal of Research in Character Education found that emotional abuse in youth sports was still widespread:
More than four in ten coaches have loudly argued with a ref or sport official following a bad call (youth athletes said 48% of coaches engaged in this behavior, although only 20% of parents said they did so).
Seven out ten youth athletes have heard a fan (most likely a parent) angrily yell at an official.
Four in ten youth athletes have heard a fan angrily yell at a coach.
One in eight parents has angrily criticized their child's sports performance (another study, this one conducted in Fall 2005 by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota, reported that more than 4 in 10 parents had seen a verbal altercation between a parent and their child that they thought was inappropriate).
One third of coaches have angrily yelled at a player for making a mistake, a high rate "of significant concern" to the study's authors, who wondered, "What would we think if a third of our teachers yelled at students for making mistakes, and 1 in 10 made fun of a student?"
One in seven athletes made fun of a less-skilled opponent. About one in ten coaches admitted to making fun a team member. These numbers suggests that on most teams there is a high probability that one or more of the lesser skilled players has been at least mildly victimized.
Perhaps because the damage caused by emotional abuse is not obvious, like sexual abuse, or immediately apparent, like a physical injury, its effect is often overlooked and minimized. But, says San Francisco child psychologist Maria Pease, the damage is no less real, and, in fact, may be much more damaging and long-lasting:
Adapted from the chapter "Preventing Child Abuse in Youth Sports: What mothers can do" from the book Home Team Advantage: The Critical Role of Mothers in Youth Sports [2] (New York: HarperCollins 2006) by Brooke de Lench, editor-in-chief of MomsTeam.com .
Links:
[1] https://momsteam.com/node/863
[2] https://momsteam.com/node/127
[3] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/emotional-injuries/general/greater-protection-of-children-from-abuse-in-sports-is-need
[4] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/sexual-abuse/prevent-sexual-abuse-by-setting-boundaries-at-preseason-meeting
[5] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/sports-human-rights-child
[6] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/emotional-injuries/bullying/youth-sports-coaches-who-bully-use-four-techniques-to-avoid-blame
[7] https://momsteam.com/bullying-sports-teams-advice-parents
[8] https://momsteam.com/health-safety/dealing-with-bullying-10-tips-parents