The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is today, 25 November. On this occasion, the Barcelona Institute of Sports (IBE) will be promoting specific measures to eradicate gender violence within the realm of sport.
Gender violence in sport is a real problem that affects sportswomen of all ages and levels. The most evident forms of gender violence in sport are physical and verbal aggressions, yet there are more subtle forms, such as making women’s sport invisible, ridiculing it or undervaluing it.
To eradicate gender violence in sport, all stakeholders in the sphere of sport need to make the commitment to call these practices out and combat them.
In this respect, the IBE organised a two-hour online training session for organisations on 23 November. Entitled “Preventing male violence towards women in sport”, the training involved various experts in this area.
The session looked at different aspects of gender violence in sports, such as its causes, the forms it takes and measures for its prevention. The training also provided sports organisations with tools for the awareness and training of their members.
In addition, to give visibility to the various types of violence woman can suffer in sport, an Iceberg poster has also been designed on male violence towards women in sport, another initiative by the IBE to draw attention to and eradicate these forms of violence.
Studying and denouncing these practices are crucial steps in building a sport free of sexist violence. Awareness, action and dialogue are key aspects in fostering fair and equal sports environments. Through active participation and empathetic listening we can build a future where sport is free of gender violence.
