Sexual violence is deeply rooted in Canadian sports, experts say. What’s the fix?

Gender-based violence experts said a systemic solution is needed from leadership if Hockey Canada truly wants to reform the violent culture in sports.

With sexual assault allegations against multiple junior hockey players at a 2018 Hockey Canada event in the spotlight, attention has been drawn to the national hockey body’s handling of the incident.

In May, TSN reported that Hockey Canada had settled an alleged sexual assault lawsuit involving eight members of the 2018 World Juniors championship team.

A woman alleged that members assaulted her while she was intoxicated in a hotel in London, Ont., following a Hockey Canada Foundation celebration event.

On June 2, a motion was passed in Canada’s House of Commons asking the House to “call Hockey Canada before the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to shed light on its involvement in a case of alleged sexual assaults committed in 2018.”

Hockey Canada’s president and COO Scott Smith testified on June 20 that the organization has received one to two allegations of sexual assault per year for the past five or six years.

Smith and outgoing CEO Tom Renney said that players were not required to cooperate in the investigation; instead, players were “encouraged” to cooperate.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Hockey Canada’s handling of the allegation is “unacceptable,” adding that “all options are being considered to determine the next step” of the federal government’s investigation of Hockey Canada.

But experts say the allegations are not an isolated incident — there’s a long history of sexual violence and other forms of violence in Canadian men’s hockey. Systemic change with a survivor-centered approach, which requires the needs and wishes of the survivor to be prioritized, is needed to address the toxic code of silence in hockey culture, some gender-based violence prevention experts told Global News.