Harrassment and Abuse Policy

West-Mont United SA (WMUSA) strives to provide a safe environment for its members and to protect the opportunity of its members to participate in our sport in an atmosphere that is free of harassment and abusive practices. The club will not tolerate or condone any form of harassment or abuse of any of its members including coaches, officials, directors, parents, athletes, and volunteers – or any other persons – while they are participating in or preparing for a soccer activity or event conducted under the auspices of WMUSA.

Definitions
Harassment is defined in various sources such as case law, state legislation, sports organization and professional association codes of conduct and training manuals, corporation and workplace documents, and human rights commission materials. WMUSA has not adopted any specific definition of harassment, choosing instead to defer to such general sources and definitions for reference and application, depending upon the circumstances.

Harassment usually occurs when one person engages in abusive behavior or asserts unwarranted power or authority over another, whether intended or not. It includes, for example, name-calling, taunts, threats, belittling, unwelcome advances and requests for sexual favors, as well as undue pressure to perform or succeed. Harassment includes child abuse.

Child Abuse
A legal definition of child abuse exists in our state, which WMUSA adopt for purposes of enforcing this policy. A child is someone under the age of 18.

It can include physical contact – or the threat of it – that intentionally causes bodily harm or injury to a child. This includes, for example, hitting, shaking, kicking, shoving, etc., as well as forcing an individual to play when injured, or mandating excessive exercise as a form of punishment.

It can include touching for the purpose of causing sexual arousal or gratification that involves a child, or forcing a child to pose for or watch pornographic materials. This includes, for example, rape, incest, fondling, exhibitionism, and sexual exploitation.
It can include chronic attacks on a child’s self-esteem. This includes, for example, such psychologically destructive behavior as ridiculing, screaming at or swearing at, racism, threatening, stalking, hazing, and isolation.

It can include chronic inattention to a child’s basic needs by someone responsible for the child’s welfare. This includes, for example, improper supervision, not providing adequate food or rest, inadequate medical or dental care, unsafe equipment or facilities.

Procedures for Reporting Harassment
Harassment, as defined herein, between or among members should be reported to the club President as soon as practicably possible. Any person in violation of this policy statement will be subject to disciplinary action.