Abuse and Harassment Policy
Passed May 1st, 2000
 
 

The Canadian Hockey Association, BC Amateur Hockey Association and Terrace Minor Hockey have adopted principles and practices regarding harassment and abuse in minor hockey. The guiding concern behind these principles is the protection of our athletes from all forms of harassment and abuse and to protect the integrity of our volunteers.

Harassment is defined as any behavior including comments, conduct or gestures which are insulting, hurtful, humiliating, malicious, degrading or offensive to an individual or which creates an uncomfortable environment. Most often, harassment occurs form peer group to peer group; usually player to player but it can also occur from parent to volunteer, coach to official or adult to adult.

Examples of harassment include:

verbal abuse physical assault racial slurs unwelcome taunting

Sexual jokes racist graffiti religious comments intimidation

Hazing or initiation rites obscene gestures practical jokes vandalism

Abuse is any form of physical, emotional and/or sexual mistreatment or lack of care, which causes physical or emotional damage to a child. A common characteristic of all forms of abuse against children and youth is an abuse of power or authority and/or a breach of trust

Harassment and abuse include wide range of behaviors and actions, from those that are minor (e.g. inappropriate jokes) to those that are very serious (e.g. repeated harassing actions or any form of physical or sexual assault). Clearly, minor and major instances of harassment must be dealt with differently.

Minor complaints should be dealt with quickly and with common sense. The person in authority must make it clear that the behavior is unacceptable and must deal with it promptly and informally. Guidance for handling any minor complaint or incident may be obtained from any member of the TMHA executive or division head.

More serious complaints need to be handled strictly according to BCAHA guidelines and provincial child protection laws. Copies of the guidelines are available from the BCAHA or your local executive. It is important that the association respond in a sensitive and timely manner to all major allegations. Provincial child protection legislation is very clear that anyone who is suspicious or has reasonable grounds to suspect that a child may be suffering or may have suffered from emotional, physical abuse or neglect and/or sexual abuse has a mandatory duty to report the abuse or neglect to the local Child Protection Agency.

The person who hears the disclosure or suspects the abuse must make the report. TMHA will support its members in fulfilling their obligations under this requirement. It is critical that the people reporting the disclosure or who suspects the abuse do not attempt to interview the child or to "solve" the problem themselves.

Reluctance to report due to a concern about making a false allegation of abuse or neglect is certainly warranted. People’s lives, careers or reputations can be irreversibly affected by false accusations of abuse. At the same time, many children have continued to suffer because their disclosures have not been believed or have not produced enough evidence to substantiate their experiences. The safety of both the affected youth and other youth that the association serves must be the primary concern.

Criminal record checks for all volunteers within the association are an integral part of preventing abuse. TMHA will require these checks to be completed on a regular basis. Based on BCAHA guidelines, the frequency of these checks will be determined by the executive. The association will pay any costs incurred to complete these checks as a result of this policy. The President of the Association is responsible for reviewing and retaining the completed criminal record searches. If there are any potential problems noted, the President may discuss a particular search only with the RCMP, the affected Vice-President and/or the affected applicant. Every attempt to ensure the confidentiality of all applicants must be taken.

 

TMHA supports the ongoing training and education of its volunteers. The CHA "Speak Out" Program is offered to all associations by the CHA and BCAHA in co-operation with various non-sport organizations. It is currently mandated that all coaches take this 3-hour course by the end of the 2001 calendar year. The workbook that accompanies the course provides a clear and logical policy and procedure for handling cases of both abuse and harassment.

 

Common sense must continue to be the guiding principle in any complaint lodged against any one else. Minor issues should be dealt with informally and quickly so they are resolved before they get out of hand. The association will deal quickly and fairly with all concerns that are presented to it in the proper manner. No volunteer within TMHA should take on the role of investigating any allegation of abuse. Everyone should be aware of the legal responsibility to report any suspected abuse through the proper channels. BCAHA has both male and female harassment advisors on staff and these people are best able to give guidance and advice to any member on any matter relating to harassment or abuse. A person who is made privy to any information about the abuse or suspected abuse of any minor should not discuss this matter with anyone else other than the proper authorities. It is important to note that although Terrace Minor Hockey believes in the integrity of our volunteers, our primary concern and consideration must always be the well being and protection of the youth that we serve.
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