Harassment Policy

The Brampton Real International Football Club (BRI FC) is committed to creating a sport environment in which all players and individuals participate without fear of harassment of any kind.

Conduct that violates this Harassment Policy may be subject sanctions by BRI FC up to and including dismissal from all BRI FC programs.

In particular BRI FC has developed the following Policy to Protect the Players and to guide our coaches/volunteers in their interactions with children. The safety, rights and well-being of children we serve are our main priority. The intent of the Policy is to ensure healthy relationships and appropriate boundaries between BRI FC coaches/volunteers and players and also between all members of the academy.

Definitions

“Individuals” All individuals engaged in activities with BRI FC, including but not limited to, teams, players, coaches, volunteers, managers, administrators, spectators of BRI FC events and parents of BRI FC members.

This Policy applies to conduct that may arise during the course of BRI FC business, activities, and events, including but not limited to: its administrative environment, competitions, practices, training camps, tryouts, travel, and any meetings and social events of BRI FC.

Responsibilities
1. All Individuals have a responsibility to:
(a) Maintain and enhance the dignity and self-esteem of BRI FC members and other Individuals by:
(b) Demonstrating respect to individuals regardless of body type, physical characteristics, athletic ability, gender, ancestry, colour, ethnic or racial origin, nationality, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, religion, religious belief, political belief, disability or economic status;
(c) Focusing comments or criticism appropriately and avoiding public criticism of athletes, coaches, officials, organizers, volunteers, employees and members;
(d) Consistently demonstrating the spirit of sportsmanship, sport leadership and ethical conduct;
(e) Acting, when appropriate, to prevent or correct practices that are unjustly discriminatory;
(f) Consistently treating individuals fairly and reasonably; and
(g) Ensuring adherence to the rules of soccer and the spirit of those rules.

2. Refraining from any behavior that constitutes harassment, where harassment is defined as comment or conduct directed towards an individual or group, which is offensive, abusive, racist, sexist, degrading, or malicious. Types of behavior that constitute harassment include, but are not limited to:
(a) Written or verbal abuse, threats or outbursts;
(b) The display of visual material which is offensive or which one ought to know is offensive in the circumstances;
(c) Unwelcome remarks, jokes, comments, innuendo or taunts;
(d) Leering or other suggestive or obscene gestures;
(e) Condescending or patronizing behavior which is intended to undermine self-esteem, diminish performance or adversely affect working conditions;
(f) Practical jokes which cause awkwardness or embarrassment, endanger a person’s safety, or negatively affect performance;
(g) Any form of hazing where hazing is defined as “Any potentially humiliating, degrading, abusive, or dangerous activity expected of a junior-ranking athlete by a more senior team-mate, which does not contribute to either athlete’s positive development, but is required to be accepted as part of a team, regardless of the junior-ranking athlete’s willingness to participate. This includes, but is not limited to, any activity, no matter how traditional or seemingly benign, that sets apart or alienates any team-mate based on class, number of years on the team, or athletic ability”;
(h) Unwanted physical contact including, but not limited to, touching, petting, pinching, or kissing;
(i) Unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances, requests, or invitations;
(j) Physical or sexual assault;
(k) Behaviors such as those described above that are not directed towards a specific individual or group but have the same effect of creating a negative or hostile environment; and
(l) Retaliation or threats of retaliation against an individual who reports harassment.

3. Refraining from any behavior that constitutes sexual harassment, where sexual harassment is defined as unwelcome sexual comments and sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or conduct of a sexual nature. Types of behavior that constitute sexual harassment include, but are not limited to:
(a) Sexist jokes;
(b) Display of sexually offensive material;
(c) Sexually degrading words used to describe a person;
(d) Inquiries or comments about a person’s sex life;
(e) Unwelcome sexual flirtations, advances or propositions; and
(f) Persistent unwanted contact.

4. Respecting the property of others and not willfully cause damage;

5. Refraining from the use of power or authority in an attempt to coerce another person to engage in inappropriate activities;

6. Promoting soccer in the most constructive and positive manner possible;

7. Adhering to all federal, provincial, municipal and host country laws;

8. Complying at all times with the bylaws, policies, procedures, rules and regulations of the Ontario Soccer Association; and

9. In particular, Coaches and Volunteers of BRI FC will refrain from:
(a) Using inappropriate communication with a player or his/her family outside of the academy context, regardless of who initiated the exchange. Types of inappropriate communication include, but are not limited to (i) personal phone calls; (ii) electronic communications (e-mail, text message, instant
message, online chats, social networking (including “friending”), etc.); (iii) personal letters; and (iv) excessive communications (online and offline);
(b) Using inappropriate contact, types of inappropriate contact include, but are not limited to spending unauthorized time with a player or the player’s family outside of designated academy times and volunteer activities. Coaches and Volunteers of BRI FC must report all contact with a child or the child’s family outside of designated work times and activities BEFORE the contact occurs to the academy manager;
(c) Singling out a player or a number of players and providing special privileges and attention (for example, paying a lot of attention to, giving or sending personalized gifts, or allowing privileges that are excessive, unwarranted or inappropriate);
(d) Taking personal photos/videos of the players for personal use, using a personal cell phone, camera or video to take pictures of a child, or allowing any other person to do so, as well as uploading or copying any pictures you may have taken of a child to the Internet or any personal storage device. Pictures taken by Coaches and Volunteers of BRI FC on behalf of BRI FC, with the intent of being used by BRI FC are acceptable, however, the pictures are to remain with the organization and not be used by the Coach and Volunteer of BRI FC in a personal capacity.

Reporting Requirements

All Coaches and Volunteers and associates of BRI FC must report suspected child sexual abuse, inappropriate behaviour or incidents that they become aware of, whether the behaviour or incidents were personally witnessed or not.

Where to report:
1. All allegations or suspicions of potentially illegal behaviour (for example, player sexual abuse) that a Coach or Volunteer or associate of BRI FC witnesses first-hand, must be promptly reported to the Academy Manager.

2. To ensure the protection of all players in our care, all allegations or suspicions of potentially illegal behaviour that a Coach or Volunteer or associate of BRI FC learns of must also be promptly reported to the Academy Manager.

3. All allegations or suspicions of inappropriate behaviour (see above examples), that a Coach or Volunteer or associate of BRI FC learns of or witnesses’ first-hand must be reported to the Academy Manager. If you are not sure whether the issue you have witnessed or heard about involves potentially illegal behaviour or inappropriate behaviour, still discuss the issue with the Academy Manager who will support you through the process.

4. When BRI FC is notified of an allegation or suspicion of potentially illegal behavior, BRI FC will notify the police. BRI FC will follow up internally as appropriate. When an allegation or suspicion of inappropriate behaviour is made, BRI FC will follow up on the matter to gather information about what happened and determine what, if any, formal or other disciplinary action is required. In the case of inappropriate behaviour, if: (i) multiple behaviours were reported, or (ii) inappropriate behaviour is recurring, or (iii) the reported behaviour is of serious concern BRI FC may refer the matter to the police.