Latest news with #genderBasedViolence
CBC
28-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Not all OHL teams are making players take mandatory sexual violence prevention program
Social Sharing WARNING: This article references sexual assault and contains graphic details, and may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone impacted by it. Nearly a decade after the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) made gender-based violence and consent training mandatory for all major junior teams, the sexual assault centres tasked with teaching the players are having trouble getting some franchises to participate, CBC News has learned. The OHL Onside Program was developed for junior hockey teams by two sexual assault support centres in the province. The curriculum is delivered to each OHL team by local centres that are members of the Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centres (OCRCC). The two-hour program was made mandatory in 2016 and is to be completed at the beginning of each season. "When a program is labelled as mandatory but there is little to no accountability for participation or follow-through, it raises questions about the league's commitment to meaningful prevention and education," said Dina Haddish, the members' co-ordinator for the OCRCC. "Without consistent enforcement and evaluation, these initiatives risk becoming performative — serving more as public relations tools than as genuine efforts to shift culture, address harm or support player development." Haddish's comments come as the sexual assault trial of five former Canadian world junior hockey players is well underway in London. The five are accused of engaging in sex acts with a woman without her consent while in London in 2018 to celebrate the gold medal they won earlier in the year. E.M., the complainant whose identity is protected under a standard publication ban, has testified she consented to sex with one man at the London hotel but not the rest. One of the players recorded two videos of the woman at the end of the night, saying she consented to everything. The woman testified she does not remember making the videos. "Throughout this trial, it has become increasingly clear that there is a fundamental misunderstanding about consent," Haddish said. "The notion that consent is something to be captured once — like a checkbox to be ticked before engaging in sexual activity — is patently false." WATCH | WARNING: This video contains graphic details: The issue of consent is prominent in the London world juniors trial: 'Consent videos' a focus of ex-world junior hockey players' trial 20 days ago Duration 2:24 The sexual assault trial of five former Canadian world junior hockey players in London, Ont., centres on the issue of consent — what it is and what it is not. Legal experts say some people put misplaced trust in 'consent videos,' like the two played in court. All five of the accused have pleaded not guilty. Haddish said several sexual assault centres have told her they face "ongoing challenges in engaging their local teams." "While the intention has been to deliver sessions annually, in some areas, only a limited number have actually taken place in recent years," Haddish told CBC News. "Common issues include difficulties with scheduling, inconsistent communication, and securing clear commitments around time and compensation. These barriers have made it challenging to deliver the program consistently across regions." Training given 'at least once a year,' OHL says Still, the OHL's director of communication says the Onside Program is mandatory for all teams. "In addition to Onside training, which all players receive at least once a year, OHL players participate in Players First training. This is a five-module league training program that is comprised of both video and team-led discussion that addresses all of the OHL's policies, programs and procedures," Josh Sweetland said in an email. "Included in this are areas such as the Code of Conduct, the Maltreatment, Bullying & Harassment Protection and Prevention Policy, and the league's reporting systems." The league is discussing next year's program with OCRCC, including "how we might be able to re-evaluate how we best deliver the education to our players" or if there are "opportunities for enhancement," Sweetland said. The OHL remains "fully committed" to the Onside program, OHL commissioner Bryan Crawford wrote in an email. "Teams are not permitted to forgo completing the training." The No. 1 team in the OHL, the London Knights, are making a run for this year's Memorial Cup, the major junior hockey national championship. The team is based in the southwestern Ontario city where the 2018 world junior team attended a Hockey Canada gala and where the trial is ongoing. The Knights haven't contacted Anova, an agency that advocates against gender-based violence and has previously delivered the Onside program to the Knights, in several years, said Allison Preyde, Anova's co-ordinator of prevention and education. Preyde said, "2022 was the last time that we were booked with them to present. It's troubling." "The Onside Program was unique because it was a relationship that the OHL builds with local sexual assault centres, and it was a really intentional relationship with centres that understood the local community and the different dynamics." The Knights' assistant general manager declined to comment for this article. Sweetland, however, said the Knights have been getting different but comparable training through the London Abused Women's Centre, which is not a member of the OCRCC, after getting permission from the league. "They've been great partners in providing our players with training in this most important area." The London Abused Women's Centre told CBC News it has delivered a one-hour training program for players with the understanding that the Knights were still taking the mandatory Onside training. Sweetland said the decision to allow the Knights to opt out of the official Onside training was made by a previous OHL commissioner. Crawford told CBC News that the Knights, along with the OHL's U.S.-based teams, have been allowed to get training from local agencies "for various operational reasons." OHL teams have to provide documentation to the league that players have completed the mandatory training, Sweetland said. But the league must make more investments in the program, said Haddish, and create mechanisms to keep teams that don't take the training accountable. "This should be a clear call for increased investment, consistent enforcement and thoughtful expansion," she said. "Programs like this cannot be expected to create meaningful change when limited to a single two-hour workshop. That kind of time constraint doesn't allow for the depth of relationship-building, reflection and dialogue necessary to shift mindsets or equip players to challenge rape culture." One of the five men on trial in London is Alex Formenton, who played for the Knights from 2016 to 2019. Formenton, Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are charged with one count each of sexual assault. McLeod is also charged with being a party to the offence for allegedly inviting his teammates to come to his hotel room for group sex with a woman without her consent. All five men have pleaded not guilty. The Onside Program was launched as a "leading edge initiative" between the OHL and the OCRCC. Its aim is to increase "understanding and awareness of the player's responsibility to demonstrate respect for women through their actions and words."
The Herald
26-05-2025
- The Herald
Hand over GBV culprits, murdered teenager's family asks community
The family of KwaZulu-Natal teenager Xolile Mpanza, 17, who was found deceased in a sugar cane plantation near Dokodweni on the north coast, is calling on communities to help police arrest the culprits in her case and that of other femicide cases. The teenager's uncle, Jabulani Mpanza, spoke publicly after being visited by premier Thami Ntuli. 'It's tense. It's been difficult and we have barely been able to sleep after the grim discovery. This is something we would see happening to other people. I know no family deserves to be in such agony. This is painful,' said Mpanza. He said the family had hoped for a bright future for the teenager. Ntuli called on the community of Dokodweni to come forward with information which would help the investigation. 'Anyone who may have the information must share with the police on 08000 10111,' he said. Ntuli said in another incident in the same area, it is reported two suspects raped a 17-year-old girl who has been admitted to hospital due to her injuries. 'The only way we can fight the scourge of gender-based violence is for us to stand up and work with the police.' TimesLIVE
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How women's advocates are using the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial to talk to players about consent
A month after the start of the high-profile sexual assault trial of five former junior hockey players in London, Ont., advocates against gender-based violence are using the proceedings to teach young men about consent and their responsibilities as role models for others. "I think for young men and for hockey players, they're watching what these five defendants have gone through and they won't want to be in that position," said Allison Preyde, the manager of prevention and education at Anova, the gender-based violence centre in London. "They don't want to be dragged through that to put their careers on the line so we're having conversations about how to make situations safer and what situations aren't worth the risk." Former hockey teammates Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are each charged with sexual assault. McLeod is additionally charged with being a party to the offence. In June 2018, they were in London for a gala to celebrate their teams' world junior gold medal win earlier that year. After a night of drinking at a local bar, McLeod went home with a woman, known in court proceedings as E.M., for consensual sex. He later invited his teammates to his room to have sexual relations with the woman, something she says she didn't consent to. Their trial started April 22 and included the nine-day testimony and cross-examination by five defence teams of E.M., who said she at times went along with what the men wanted because she was scared and had never been in a similar situation. In the witness box, she described her mind separating from her body as a coping mechanism. Evidence presented at trial included text messages sent by McLeod inviting his teammates to his hotel room for group sex, and the players texting each other in the days and weeks following the incident when police and Hockey Canada began investigating, assuring each other that they did nothing wrong. Consent, the Crown has said, is at the heart of the case. "We talk a lot about power imbalances, and how that power can be used for good because our position is that athletes are not bad or that sports are bad," said Hanna McGee, the Youth Outreach Coordinator at the Saffron Centre, a sexual assault centre in Sherwood Park, Alberta. McGee developed a program called Consent in Sport, which delivers education to athletes as young as 13, including those in the British Columbia Hockey League. "Often, athletes don't even realize the significance of their social status, their influence, even in small communities where they're highly regarded and treated like celebrities. With a lot of that power comes a lot of responsibility," McGee said. Being on a sports team can mean making friends for life, but can also make it difficult to speak up and stop negative behaviour, McGee said. "It's absolutely crucial in the world of sports to be able to lean on our teammates and lean on our coaches. But it can turn into a harmful groupthink, where we can deflect responsibility, we can act without autonomy, we can blame others for our actions. How you act and carry yourself is going to follow you forever," she said. "The trial provides an opportunity for us to really think about the significance of impact over intent and thinking about consent being truly freely given and truly ongoing." In 2016, the Ontario Hockey League launched a program called Onside, which consists of a two-hour mandatory training program that teaches players and team staff about their responsibility to demonstrate respect for women. Local sexual assault and gender-based violence centres are supposed to deliver the course to OHL teams. But Preyde, who has delivered the Onside seminar to members of the London Knights junior hockey team in the past, said consent training has to start much earlier. "Particularly for people who are in the culture of sports and in locker rooms, having those conversations as early as possible is key," she said. "We need to get them thinking about, 'What does consent mean? What is healthy? What is not healthy? What does it mean to be a good friend? 'The lack of that conversation early on really sets up junior hockey players for a really touch time, not just as people who are potentially assaulting, but for people who are at risk of assault, too."
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
How women's advocates are using the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial to talk to players about consent
A month after the start of the high-profile sexual assault trial of five former junior hockey players in London, Ont., advocates against gender-based violence are using the proceedings to teach young men about consent and their responsibilities as role models for others. "I think for young men and for hockey players, they're watching what these five defendants have gone through and they won't want to be in that position," said Allison Preyde, the manager of prevention and education at Anova, the gender-based violence centre in London. "They don't want to be dragged through that to put their careers on the line so we're having conversations about how to make situations safer and what situations aren't worth the risk." Former hockey teammates Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are each charged with sexual assault. McLeod is additionally charged with being a party to the offence. In June 2018, they were in London for a gala to celebrate their teams' world junior gold medal win earlier that year. After a night of drinking at a local bar, McLeod went home with a woman, known in court proceedings as E.M., for consensual sex. He later invited his teammates to his room to have sexual relations with the woman, something she says she didn't consent to. Their trial started April 22 and included the nine-day testimony and cross-examination by five defence teams of E.M., who said she at times went along with what the men wanted because she was scared and had never been in a similar situation. In the witness box, she described her mind separating from her body as a coping mechanism. Evidence presented at trial included text messages sent by McLeod inviting his teammates to his hotel room for group sex, and the players texting each other in the days and weeks following the incident when police and Hockey Canada began investigating, assuring each other that they did nothing wrong. Consent, the Crown has said, is at the heart of the case. "We talk a lot about power imbalances, and how that power can be used for good because our position is that athletes are not bad or that sports are bad," said Hanna McGee, the Youth Outreach Coordinator at the Saffron Centre, a sexual assault centre in Sherwood Park, Alberta. McGee developed a program called Consent in Sport, which delivers education to athletes as young as 13, including those in the British Columbia Hockey League. "Often, athletes don't even realize the significance of their social status, their influence, even in small communities where they're highly regarded and treated like celebrities. With a lot of that power comes a lot of responsibility," McGee said. Being on a sports team can mean making friends for life, but can also make it difficult to speak up and stop negative behaviour, McGee said. "It's absolutely crucial in the world of sports to be able to lean on our teammates and lean on our coaches. But it can turn into a harmful groupthink, where we can deflect responsibility, we can act without autonomy, we can blame others for our actions. How you act and carry yourself is going to follow you forever," she said. "The trial provides an opportunity for us to really think about the significance of impact over intent and thinking about consent being truly freely given and truly ongoing." In 2016, the Ontario Hockey League launched a program called Onside, which consists of a two-hour mandatory training program that teaches players and team staff about their responsibility to demonstrate respect for women. Local sexual assault and gender-based violence centres are supposed to deliver the course to OHL teams. But Preyde, who has delivered the Onside seminar to members of the London Knights junior hockey team in the past, said consent training has to start much earlier. "Particularly for people who are in the culture of sports and in locker rooms, having those conversations as early as possible is key," she said. "We need to get them thinking about, 'What does consent mean? What is healthy? What is not healthy? What does it mean to be a good friend? 'The lack of that conversation early on really sets up junior hockey players for a really touch time, not just as people who are potentially assaulting, but for people who are at risk of assault, too."
CBC
26-05-2025
- Sport
- CBC
How women's advocates are using the Hockey Canada sexual assault trial to talk to players about consent
Social Sharing A month after the start of the high-profile sexual assault trial of five former junior hockey players in London, Ont., advocates against gender-based violence are using the proceedings to teach young men about consent and their responsibilities as role models for others. "I think for young men and for hockey players, they're watching what these five defendants have gone through and they won't want to be in that position," said Allison Preyde, the manager of prevention and education at Anova, the gender-based violence centre in London. "They don't want to be dragged through that to put their careers on the line so we're having conversations about how to make situations safer and what situations aren't worth the risk." Former hockey teammates Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillon Dubé and Cal Foote are each charged with sexual assault. McLeod is additionally charged with being a party to the offence. In June 2018, they were in London for a gala to celebrate their teams' world junior gold medal win earlier that year. After a night of drinking at a local bar, McLeod went home with a woman, known in court proceedings as E.M., for consensual sex. He later invited his teammates to his room to have sexual relations with the woman, something she says she didn't consent to. Ex-teammates of accused testify at Hockey Canada sexual assault trial 6 days ago Duration 4:12 The sexual assault trial of five former Hockey Canada world junior players continues in a London, Ont., court. All five have pleaded not guilty. Tuesday marks the first day that testimony at the trial will be heard by a judge alone, after Justice Maria Carroccia discharged the jury late last week. Their trial started April 22 and included the nine-day testimony and cross-examination by five defence teams of E.M., who said she at times went along with what the men wanted because she was scared and had never been in a similar situation. In the witness box, she described her mind separating from her body as a coping mechanism. Evidence presented at trial included text messages sent by McLeod inviting his teammates to his hotel room for group sex, and the players texting each other in the days and weeks following the incident when police and Hockey Canada began investigating, assuring each other that they did nothing wrong. Consent, the Crown has said, is at the heart of the case. "We talk a lot about power imbalances, and how that power can be used for good because our position is that athletes are not bad or that sports are bad," said Hanna McGee, the Youth Outreach Coordinator at the Saffron Centre, a sexual assault centre in Sherwood Park, Alberta. McGee developed a program called Consent in Sport, which delivers education to athletes as young as 13, including those in the British Columbia Hockey League. "Often, athletes don't even realize the significance of their social status, their influence, even in small communities where they're highly regarded and treated like celebrities. With a lot of that power comes a lot of responsibility," McGee said. Being on a sports team can mean making friends for life, but can also make it difficult to speak up and stop negative behaviour, McGee said. "It's absolutely crucial in the world of sports to be able to lean on our teammates and lean on our coaches. But it can turn into a harmful groupthink, where we can deflect responsibility, we can act without autonomy, we can blame others for our actions. How you act and carry yourself is going to follow you forever," she said. "The trial provides an opportunity for us to really think about the significance of impact over intent and thinking about consent being truly freely given and truly ongoing." In 2016, the Ontario Hockey League launched a program called Onside, which consists of a two-hour mandatory training program that teaches players and team staff about their responsibility to demonstrate respect for women. Local sexual assault and gender-based violence centres are supposed to deliver the course to OHL teams. But Preyde, who has delivered the Onside seminar to members of the London Knights junior hockey team in the past, said consent training has to start much earlier. "Particularly for people who are in the culture of sports and in locker rooms, having those conversations as early as possible is key," she said. "We need to get them thinking about, 'What does consent mean? What is healthy? What is not healthy? What does it mean to be a good friend? 'The lack of that conversation early on really sets up junior hockey players for a really touch time, not just as people who are potentially assaulting, but for people who are at risk of assault, too."
