Hockey N.L. launches mandatory sexual violence prevention pilot program

When hockey players in Newfoundland and Labrador hit the ice this season, they won't be the only ones working on new skills: so will some of their coaches — who must take sexual violence prevention training, starting this season.

Hockey N.L. announced a pilot program this week that will provide free and mandatory training for all coaching staff training involved with under-15, under-18 AAA, female and junior teams.

"It teaches them about some of the realities of sexual violence in sport and some of the tools that are available to try to help them and reduce that risk," said Jarred Butler, interim president of Hockey N.L.

Butler said coaches of teams with younger players are also encouraged to participate.

He said Hockey N.L. developed the course with two medical students — Amy Graham and Patricia Tracey — who created a similar program for university sport departments while studying at St. Francis Xavier University in Nova Scotia. 

The program has an online module that takes about an hour to complete and participants are quizzed on the content in order to get a certificate of completion. 

Butler cited statistics that show between two to eight per cent of minor athletes experience sexual violence, with the number growing to as much of a quarter of athletes at the university level. 

"The logic behind our approach is that if we do the education earlier, as these athletes are moving up through the levels … they're going to get more awareness so that when they get to university level, we hopefully will see those numbers decrease," said Butler.

Meanwhile, one in two women experience sexual assault, according to the Newfoundland and Labrador sexual assault crisis and prevention centre.

"I think it's behooving of any