Special Collection: Sporting Events and Domestic Abuse
On this page, we have pulled together a number of articles and papers that provide background information on the connection between sporting events and violence against women, both in terms of domestic abuse and rape/sexual assault.
We all need to be prepared for an increase in violence against women during the Rugby World Cup, particularly in Auckland which will be hosting many of the biggest games.
As Shine’s Executive Director Jane Drumm noted in an interview on Morning Report:
“Most people who attend rugby games are never ever going to hurt anybody else, but if you’re already inclined to think that hurting someone else is acceptable and you’re in a situation where it’s easy for you because you’ve had too much to drink and so the normal social inhibitions aren’t there.., then it’s more likely to occur.”
> Listen to the Morning Report radio interview with Jane Drumm. Scroll down and listen to the story at 7.46am.
Shine supports the national Blow the Whistle on Violence Campaign, which aims to celebrate the Rugby World Cup, while protecting and safeguarding New Zealand homes and families from violence and alcohol-related harm. There are a number of sports celebrities serving as Blow the Whistle Ambassadors, and there is a range of campaign resources that use familiar rugby expressions to help illustrate the need for families to speak out.
Sporting Events and Domestic Abuse: The Literature
We hope that this information will be of use to community groups, sporting organisations and the media, as we all prepare for the upcoming Rugby World Cup.
Summary:
According to Hager and Nelson, there is “a link between major sporting events and increased sexual, physical and emotional violence against women, a link that has already been identified by the New Zealand Police.” This paper discusses the available evidence of a link between major sporting events and increased sexual, physical and emotional violence against women. The authors suggest there is a need for a proactive preventative response from the range of stakeholders involved in the management, organisation and policing of the Rugby World Cup, in addition to proactive community responses. The paper makes a number of specific recommendations that are all part of a preventative response.
Summary:
The 2010 World Cup in South Africa drew attention to the connections between major sporting events and violence against women. In December 2010, the Trust for London funded Dr Catherine Palmer from the School of Applied Social Sciences, Durham University to conduct this review of literature that could provide an evidence base for the connections between violence against women and sport. The objectives of this review were to:
- Review national and international evidence into the connections between sport and violence against women that can inform policy development and debate, including literature that explores contemporary moves to initiate cultural change within sporting (and other) organisations;
- Review and evaluate the success of relevant initiatives adopted by sporting (and other) bodies that have aimed to change or establish environments that promote safety for women and girls in relation to sport and violence against women.
Summary:
This paper investigated claims that seasons, calendar and football events positively correlate with increases in the number of reports of domestic violence incidents. Evidence from the limited literature available suggests that there is some degree of correlation, particularly with summer months, New Year’s Day and other calendar events. The analysis of Australian domestic violence data identified a correlation between higher numbers of reported domestic violence incidents and summer months and some calendar events (i.e. New Year’s Day and Melbourne Cup). Australia Day, Easter, ANZAC Day and the Queen’s Birthday were associated with small increases in the NSW data. No correlation between domestic violence figures and major football matches was identified in the Australian data, although it may be that the fortunes of local teams have local (rather than state- and territory-wide) effects.
Some research and anecdotal information suggests that seasons, calendar and football events increase opportunities for perpetrators to be violent or are used as excuses for perpetrators to be violent. Factors associated with summer months and calendar events (as well as football matches) that may influence domestic violence figures include financial burdens, child contact arrangements, more time with families, alcohol consumption, more frequent socialising, and emotional and testosterone highs.
Of significant interest to the authors in this study was the Domestic Violence Enforcement Campaign implemented by the UK police during the 2006 World Cup Final. By assuming domestic violence was going to increase at this time (based on available research), regardless of the reasons why, the police proactively engaged in a diverse strategy to target the most dangerous and serial offenders.
Summary:
Recent statistics clearly show that reporting of domestic abuse escalates around periods when certain major sporting events take place, and problems can often intensify as a result of increased alcohol consumption. However, a note of caution is needed: the statistics rely on police data which may not capture the presence of alcohol, and health data which may not include whether the violence is domestic in nature. Increased reporting may be, at least in part, a result of successful awareness-raising campaigns encouraging women to report incidents at these times or because sporting events may provide better opportunities to report incidents, for example whilst their partner is attending the event or viewing the event elsewhere, such as at the pub. More rigorous research is needed to further investigate the correlation between alcohol, domestic abuse and sporting events.
- Campaigns and enforcement initiatives during periods when major sporting events take place that raise awareness of domestic abuse issues should be encouraged. Future initiatives could also include other times where studies suggest that instances of domestic abuse may escalate, such as during the Christmas period and hot summers.
- Aggressive marketing and discounting of alcohol by the drinks industry during the forthcoming World Cup should be avoided. Drinks producers and retailers need to think carefully about the potential implications of irresponsible promotions that encourage excessive consumption.
Summary:
Based on the literature reviewed, there is growing evidence internationally to support bystander approaches as a feature of primary prevention of violence against women in Victoria. This paper makes the case that social norms play an important role in facilitating bystander willingness to intervene to prevent violence against women. This means that any efforts directed towards promoting particular individual bystander behaviours should be accompanied by efforts directed at the broader social norms that may facilitate or hinder these behaviours. The paper also argues that in order to decide to intervene, bystanders must first define the situation as requiring intervention and see themselves as personally responsible for intervening. As such, bystander approaches should include information about violence against women and the kinds of situations that support/condone violence against women, as well as encouraging a sense of community and individual responsibility to prevent violence against women.
Bystander approaches can foster social norms regarding the unacceptability of violence against women at individual, community and societal levels, as well as promoting a shared sense of responsibility for preventing sexual and intimate partner violence. At the organisational level and within specific community settings, bystander approaches can reduce the perceived costs of intervening to prevent violence against women (whether in the moment, or by challenging attitudes/behaviours that support violence) by creating a climate that supports non-violence and those who promote non-violence. Organisations and community settings can also feature specific bystander programs to promote attitudinal and behavioural change among individuals, and to build people’s capacity and skills to respond as bystanders. In addition, by appealing to individuals and communities as having a role and responsibility for the prevention of violence (and not only as potential victims or perpetrators) the inclusion of bystander approaches in a broader framework for the prevention of violence against women has the potential to improve receptivity to additional specific violence-prevention messages.
> Read the AFL Respect & Responsibility Policy 2005 (Australian Football League)
> Read the full paper "Building Cultures of Respect and Non-Violence" (VicHealth, 2005)
Summary:
The Respect & Responsibility Policy was launched by the Australian Football League in November 2005 to address the issue of violence against women. The Policy’s broad intention is to firmly position the AFL as a leader in advocating cultural change that will lead to safe and inclusive environments for women and girls, across all levels of Australian Football.
The target areas for implementation of the Policy during its first two years of operation include:
• the introduction of model anti-sexual harassment and anti-sexual discrimination procedures across the AFL and its 16 Clubs;
• training and education for AFL Players;
• changes to the player rules governing “conduct unbecoming”;
•the development of resources for community clubs to ensure safe, supportive environments for women and girls; and,
• the development of an AFL led public education campaign
A review of literature was undertaken to explore best practice principles and contemporary approaches to adult learning and behaviour change to address gender-based violence prevention. This focused on professional sporting and other settings, as well as those using ‘peer mentor’ approaches. It is however important to note from the outset that there is no Australian evidence that male sports players have more violence-supportive attitudes or a greater likelihood of perpetrating violence than any other men.
Violence prevention efforts have been developed for particular institutional and cultural contexts, including college fraternities, sports, and the military, because of reports of high rates of violence against women.