LOCAL VIEWPOINT: Defining sexual misconduct: Power and accountability

Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/04/2022 (1257 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

An independent investigation has concluded that Brandon University soccer coach Jesse Roziere engaged in “a pattern of sexually harassing behaviour.” The investigation found that he continually abused his position of authority by engaging in inappropriate conduct, including asking a player on a date, making sexual advances, and drinking and partying with players.

Roziere continues to deny all wrongdoing and seems oblivious to how the dynamic of power alters social interactions. The investigator noted: to Roziere’s knowledge, there are no rules against coaches drinking or partying with players. This may well be true. But things that might otherwise be acceptable among people of equal status become coercive and harmful when a power differential is at play. Any person in a position of authority should know this.

In our forthcoming book, “Defining Sexual Misconduct: Power, Media, and #MeToo,” we trace how the social recognition and censure of sexual misconduct has changed over the past 40 years. A key finding of our research is that women are increasingly empowered to define for themselves those actions that are harmful and that violate their boundaries.

Sexual abuses and behaviours that women have historically tolerated as the price of social life with men are being redefined as unacceptable, and women are demanding consequences when their boundaries are violated. This is a good thing. As a result, men are increasingly required to examine their own behaviour, to understand how their position of power affects the way that sexual advances are received, and to acknowledge when they have abused that power. Similarly, institutions and businesses must absolutely take such allegations seriously, and consider how their policies and practices create the conditions for harm, or fail to address and prevent it — including the continued tolerance of sexual misconduct. Women must be part of the conversation about institutional cultures and policies.

It is unclear what concrete steps the university has taken to respond to the allegations and subsequent findings of the independent investigation, following its own botched internal investigation. The university issued an indirect and vague apology for which it has been criticized because it lacked details of what happened. It is clear that the affected players and former players remain understandably frustrated and disappointed at the lack of transparency and lack of direct action surrounding the situation.

Sexual misconduct has serious consequences for victims; one student gave up her university scholarship to escape the situation and several students have been unfairly targeted and called liars for coming forward with their stories. While the #MeToo moment opened space for much needed public conversations about sexual misconduct, it has not necessarily made it easier for individuals to come forward. Nor has it created the kinds of systemic change necessary to address the harms, particularly if those harms do not meet the threshold for criminal responsibility.

If we want to create a world in which sexual harm is not tolerated, then people who cause and enable harm must be held accountable for that harm. Accountability, like harm, is defined by survivors. A trauma-informed response to sexual harm must first listen to victims and endeavour to address their needs. Similarly, a real and meaningful apology involves contacting each of the affected soccer players directly. In light of the findings of the independent report, a direct apology to the players seems the very least that the students should be offered.

» Stacey Hannem is professor of criminology at Wilfrid Laurier University and Christopher J. Schneider is professor of sociology at Brandon University. They are co-authors of “Defining Sexual Misconduct: Power, Media, and #MeToo,” available May 7 from University of Regina Press.