Equality Matters newsletter: January 2026

How you can empower youth to help prevent gender-based violence in sports

With the Winter Olympics approaching, young athletes everywhere are inspired to aim higher, on and off the field. As a trusted adult, coach or mentor, your influence extends beyond sports, making you the right person to tackle topics like GBV.

Let’s explore some strategies and key terms to help youth identify and address GBV. Because when we give young people the tools and terms to understand, identify, and approach GBV, we empower them to stand up against it.

Have a minute? Let’s take a closer look at the important issue of victim blaming 

When someone is harmed, is the best first reaction support, or scrutiny? The answer may seem obvious, but many teens and young people have had their experiences met with suspicion or even blame.

As parents, guardians, and trusted adults, we all have a role to play in helping young people understand GBV and looking out for signs of it. We can also model how to best respond when these situations are brought to our attention.

How victims or survivors are unjustly scrutinized

GBV can be difficult to identify and report because it’s been so normalized in society. While it’s often thought of as “just physical,” GBV can take many forms, including emotional, sexual and financial. Unfortunately, a common experience for someone coming forward is being blamed for what happened.

This may happen subtly, like scrutinizing what type of clothes they were wearing, their upbringing or their appearance. Victims or survivors may even be blamed for not reporting instances when they were in danger. These behaviours can be perpetuated by media portrayals that judge victims or survivors rather than addressing the harm done. Victim blaming can have the effect of silencing survivors and protecting abusers.

3...2...1... Take off to A Better World

As a new school semester begins and classrooms fill with fresh energy, we’ve got you covered if you’re looking for meaningful new resources to help the young people in your life, or your students, connect, collaborate, and reflect on important topics!

A Better World is a free, interactive storytelling activity for kids aged 7-12 designed to spark big conversations about inclusion, fairness, and gender equality - all through the eyes of a bunch of curious robots.