Gymnastik- och idrottshögskolan, GIH

Research shows that sexual harassment and abuse (SHA) in sport is widespread yet often invisible due to significant underreporting and non-disclosure (Tuakli-Wosornu et al., 2024; Sølvberg et al., 2023). Openness and disclosure of harmful practices are essential for preventing, recognizing, and responding to such incidents. This study examines disclosure related to SHA in equine sports through the following research questions:

RQ1: What are the reported experiences of equine sector participants regarding disclosure and non-disclosure of SHA?RQ2: What individual/interpersonal, organizational, and cultural factors influence disclosure and non-disclosure in equine sport contexts?

Guided by a socioecological framework (Bronfenbrenner, 1979; Tuakli-Wosornu et al., 2024), disclosure is understood as a socially constructed phenomenon shaped by interactions across individual/interpersonal, organizational, and cultural levels. These levels interact dynamically, influencing both the likelihood of disclosure and its consequences.

A mixed-methods design was employed. A retrospective cross-sectional questionnaire targeted current and former equine sector participants in Sweden and Norway (n=654). In addition, qualitative interviews with participants exposed to SHA (N=22) provided in-depth accounts of reasons for non-disclosure and experiences of reporting processes. Descriptive statistics of the survey data and thematic analysis of the interview data were conducted.

Preliminary findings will be presented, including the occurrence of disclosure, reasons for non-disclosure, and accounts illustrating, for example, organizational mistrust and culturally embedded silence. The findings and implications are discussed with an emphasis on promoting disclosure and addressing individual/interpersonal, organizational, and cultural barriers.

Sexual harassment and abuse (SHA) are recognized problems in sport contexts, yet little is known about their occurrence in the equine sector. This study examined reported experiences of SHA among participants in the Swedish and Norwegian equine sector. An intersectional framework was applied to analyze the interplay of social characteristics and culturally informed inequalities associated with SHA. A retrospective, cross-sectional survey (N = 653) using the Interpersonal Violence Against Children in Sport Questionnaire (IVACS-Q) measured lifetime self-reported experiences of SHA in a self-selected sample, the majority of whom were women. Over half (54.9%) of respondents reported lifetime experiences of SHA in equine environments, including contact and noncontact forms. The vast majority of those reporting SHA were women, often in subordinate roles such as grooms or stable staff, who spent extensive time in equine environments. Reported perpetrators were most often older men in positions of authority linked to equine-centered power, such as riding instructors, stable owners, and horse owners. The findings highlight structural and organizational vulnerabilities in equine culture, where gender, age, and equine-centered power intersect to shape conditions associated with SHA. Therefore, preventing SHA in the equine sector requires context-sensitive, culturally and intersectionally informed safeguarding efforts.

1. Aim and Research Questions 

Safe sport is a vital component of good governance. Openness and disclosure of harmful practices, such as abuse and misconduct, are essential for preventing, recognizing, and responding to such incidents. This paper seeks to advance the understanding of disclosure processes related to sexual abuse and sexual misconduct within equine sport environments. The paper addresses the following research questions:

RQ1: What are the reported experiences of equine sport participants regarding the disclosure of sexual abuse and misconduct, including their reasons for disclosure or non-disclosure?

RQ2: Drawing on a socioecological framework, what individual/interpersonal, organizational, and cultural factors influence the disclosure of sexual abuse and misconduct in equine sport environments?

2. Theoretical Background and Literature Review 

There is increasing awareness of the need to prevent harmful practices and promote safe sport environments, particularly in the context of child protection (Vertommen et al., 2024). This awareness has grown in response to numerous publicized reports of sexual harassment and abuse in sports globally and locally over the past decade. In Sweden and Norway, several incidents of sexual harassment and abuse in equine sport environments, typically involving young girls in vulnerable, subordinate positions, have been reported in recent years. These cases have been characterized by risk factors such as power imbalances, dependency, and isolation, which facilitate abuse in sport and appear to be distinctly pronounced within equine sport (Johansson et al., in preparation). Thus, in this paper we will explore the disclosure of sexual abuse and sexual misconduct within equine sport environments.

A steadily growing body of research demonstrates that sexual and other forms of abuse in sport is widespread and simultaneously rendered invisible, with significant underreporting and non-disclosure (e.g., Tuakli-Wosornu et al., 2024; Strandbu et al., 2023; Sølvberg et al., 2023). Reasons for individuals to hide their experiences for years or never disclose them at all include for example fear of consequences, loss of social support, shame, guilt, and limited knowledge about, or lack of, reporting mechanisms and an overall culture of silence in sport (Johansson, 2022; Solstad, 2019; Sølvberg et al., 2023). Thus, facilitating the disclosure of misconduct and abuse to encourage reporting and help-seeking behaviors is an urgent area of concern for sport practitioners as well as researchers. 

Given the inherent social nature of sport, as well as of abuse, maltreatment, and their disclosure, such experiences are understood as socially constructed phenomena. This study employs a theoretical framework of contextual determinants that shape disclosure processes and procedures, drawing on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory (e.g., Bronfenbrenner, 1979). In line with Tuakli-Wosornu et al. (2024) and their work on interpersonal violence in sport, we adopt the term socioecological to more explicitly foreground the social dimensions of Bronfenbrenner’s theory. Our socioecological framework is underpinned by three distinct yet interrelated levels: (1) individual/interpersonal, (2) organizational, and (3) cultural. The dynamic interactions and cultural dispositions within and between these levels can influence both the likelihood of reporting incidents of abuse and maltreatment, as well as the experiences and consequences—positive or negative—associated with the disclosure processes.

3. Research Design, Methodology, and Data Analysis A mixed-methods approach was employed, combining a retrospective cross-sectional questionnaire study and a qualitative interview study with equine sport participants from Sweden and Norway. The online survey sample was self-selected and consisted of current and former equine sport participants (n = 654). Sexual harassment and abuse were assessed using the 15-item IVACS-Q questionnaire (Hartill et al., 2023). Additionally, interviews were conducted with equine sport participants (n = 20) who had been subjected to SHA and/or sexual misconduct, exploring their lived experiences before, during, and after these incidents. Descriptive statistics of the survey data and thematic analysis of the interview data were conducted. Disclosure was a common theme across both studies, and preliminary results from these data subsets will be presented.

4. Results/Findings and Discussion Preliminary results about disclosure of sexual abuse and misconduct from the survey and interview data will be presented. These findings include the occurrence of reporting sexual abuse and misconduct, and reasons participants chose to disclose or not disclose these incidents in any way. Furthermore, we will share insights from in-depth accounts of disclosure processes within the equine sport environment, including experiences with the reporting systems overseen by equine sport organizations. The findings will be discussed through the lens of the socioecological framework, with an emphasis on promoting disclosure and addressing individual/interpersonal, organizational, and cultural barriers.

5. Conclusion, Contribution, and Implication Conclusions and implications of the preliminary results, particularly in relation to safeguarding and sport governance, will be presented and discussed.

6. References 

Bronfenbrenner, U. (1979). The ecology of human development: Experiments by nature and design. Harvard University Press.

Hartill, M., Rulofs, B., Allroggen, M., Demarbaix, S., Diketmüller, R., Lang, M., ... & Vertommen, T. (2023). Prevalence of interpersonal violence against children in sport in six European countries. Child Abuse & Neglect, 146, 106513. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2023.106513 

Johansson, S. (2022). From policy to practice: Measures against sexual abuse by Swedish sports federations. Frontiers in sports and active living, 4, 841653. https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2022.841653 

Johansson, S., Sølvberg, N., Broms, L., Strandbu, Å., & Hedenborg, S. (in preparation). Sexual harassment and abuse in the equine sector.

Solstad, G. M. (2019). Reporting abuse in sport: A question of power? European Journal for Sport and Society, 16(3), 229–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/16138171.2019.1655851 

Strandbu, Å., Solstad, G. M., Stefansen, K., & Frøyland, L. R. (2023). Seksuell trakassering og andre krenkelser i ungdomsidretten: Forekomst og mønstre i utsatthet. Nordisk Tidsskrift for Ungdomsforskning, 4(1), 1–17.

Sølvberg, N., Torstveit, M. K., Mountjoy, M., Rosenvinge, J. H., Pettersen, G., & Sundgot-Borgen, J. (2023). Sexual harassment and abuse; disclosure and awareness of report-and support resources in Norwegian sport- and non-sport high schools: A prospective exploratory study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14,1168423. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1168423

Tuakli-Wosornu, Y. A., Burrows, K., Fasting, K., Hartill, M., Hodge, K., Kaufman, K., ... & Rhind, D. J. A. (2024). IOC consensus statement: Interpersonal violence and safeguarding in sport. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 58(22), 1322–1344. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2024-108766 

Vertommen, T., Sølvberg, N., Lang, M., & Kampen, J. K. (2024). Are some sports riskier than others? An investigation into child athlete experiences of interpersonal violence in relation to sport type and gender. International Review for the Sociology of Sport. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10126902241290576

Hästsektorn involverar några av våra mest populära sporter. Trots alla positiva sidor kan hästsporten också utgöra en riskmiljö. Forskningen visar att utsatthet som trakasserier och övergrepp kan förekomma inom alla idrotter, men hästen som mittpunkt gör hästsporten speciell. Till exempel kan tillgången till hästen medföra makt, auktoritet och kontroll för vissa personer medan andra (ofta unga tjejer) blir underordnade, beroende och sårbara. Den dynamiken kan möjliggöra gränsöverskridande relationer, utnyttjande, trakasserier och övergrepp.

Under senare år har sexuella trakasserier och övergrepp inom hästsport och hästmiljöer uppmärksammats – både specifika fall och som sakfråga. Problembilden fördjupas av sociala hierarkier, tystnadskultur och gråzoner med olämpliga beteenden. Grundläggande i arbetet för trygghet och social hållbarhet är ökad kunskap och medvetenhet om problemområdet. Hittills finns dock inga vetenskapliga studier om sexuella trakasserier, övergrepp och relaterade gråzoner inom hästsporten.

Mot denna bakgrund initierades pågående tvååriga svensk-norska forskningsprojekt. Syftet är att undersöka upplevelser och förekomst av sexuella trakasserier, övergrepp samt relaterade gråzoner och riskfaktorer inom hästsportsmiljön, samt att bidra med information och rekommendationer för trygghetsarbetet inom hästsektorn baserat på studiens resultat.

Projektet omfattar en enkätstudie och en intervjustudie med retrospektiv design. I studierna undersöks alltså erfarenheter från barndom, ungdom och vuxen ålder bland minst 16 år gamla deltagare som ägnat sig åt hästsporterna ridning, trav, galopp eller islandshäst. Datainsamlingen pågår under 2024.

Konferensbidraget består av att beskriva problemområdet i förhållande till befintlig forskning om sexuella trakasserier, övergrepp och gråzoner inom idrotten samt att problematisera av hästsportskontexten utifrån detta kunskapsläge. Några preliminära resultat från studien kommer också att presenteras.