Sexual Harassment Prevention in Youth Softball

Sexual harassment can include unwanted sexual comments, requests, touching, sexual images, or messages. Sex-based harassment can also include degrading remarks about someone’s sex without a sexual advance. It can happen between adults, between peers, or when an adult has authority over an athlete. It can happen at a tournament, in a team chat, or away from the field.

A coach jokes about an athlete’s body in a team group chat. The athlete laughs along. That reaction tells you little about whether the athlete felt free to object. Address the conduct early and follow the appropriate reporting process. A coach’s job is to act on the concern. A formal legal determination belongs to the appropriate authority.

Plan individual instruction where another person can see and interrupt it. In a batting cage, choose a visible lane and keep access open to another adult or the athlete’s parent or guardian. Explain a drill before using physical contact. Demonstrate first, ask before making an appropriate correction, and offer a no-contact option. Respect an athlete who declines.

Keep messages with minor athletes professional and transparent. Use team channels that include a parent, guardian, or another authorized adult. If an athlete sends a private message about ordinary team business, bring a parent, guardian, or another authorized adult into the reply. For a safety disclosure, protect the athlete’s privacy and follow the reporting steps. Avoid disappearing messages, secret accounts, and personal or sexual conversations with athletes.

If you see inappropriate behavior and can intervene safely, interrupt it, help the affected person get to a safe place, and follow the reporting steps. If a player tells you about possible abuse, stay calm. Thank them for telling you and say, “I’m taking this seriously. I’ll share it with people who can help keep you safe.”

Listen without pressing for details or suggesting answers. Ask only what you need to address immediate safety. Record the date, time, what you observed, and the athlete’s words as accurately as you can. Preserve relevant messages securely. Keep details limited to the people responsible for safety and reporting. Leave interviews and evidence gathering to the authorities handling the report.

Call 911 if someone is in immediate danger. In New Mexico, anyone who knows or reasonably suspects child abuse or neglect must report immediately. Call CYFD at 1-855-333-7233 (#SAFE from a mobile phone), report to local law enforcement, or contact the appropriate tribal authority. If the concern arises outside New Mexico, use the appropriate local reporting authority and follow the rules that apply there.

Use your organization’s designated reporting channel for harassment and other misconduct. If a supervisor or leader is involved, use another available reporting channel. Suspected child abuse requires an immediate external report even when you also tell a team or board leader. A coach should never wait for an internal meeting, proof, or permission before making a required report.

Retaliation can include threats, exclusion, reduced playing time, or lost assignments because someone raised a concern or helped with a report. Treat a suspected act of retaliation as a separate concern. Document what changed and report it promptly. Avoid discussing a complaint in team chats or asking people to confront each other.

Before your next event, review who handles safety concerns, where one-on-one instruction takes place, and which communication channels include parents or another authorized adult. Keep the reporting resources available so coaches can act promptly when a concern comes up.

Look at the conduct, the power difference, and the circumstances. Examples include a coach using playing time to pressure an athlete, a teammate sharing a sexual image, or repeated comments about a player’s body. Watch for secret gifts, requests to hide messages, and attempts to isolate one athlete. A warning sign is a reason to act on what you know and document facts. Leave conclusions about motives or abuse to the authorities handling the report.

A player makes a sexual remark about a teammate in the dugout. Teammates laugh. Stop the remark and restate the standard. Check on the affected player away from the group in an observable, interruptible setting. Ask what they need for immediate safety. Report through the appropriate channel. If you reasonably suspect child abuse, make the required external report immediately.

Practice: Say what you would tell the group. For example, “Stop. Comments about teammates’ bodies are off limits. We’re getting back to practice.” Then identify whom you would contact and what you would record.

Before a private lesson, check that an authorized adult or parent can see the interaction and intervene. An empty facility with an open door may still fail that test. If the person who was meant to observe is late, relocate to a suitable area or wait. Explain any hands-on instruction, offer a no-contact alternative, and respect the athlete’s response each time.

OutKast families handle their athletes’ travel and lodging. Plan meetings in visible group areas. Respect bathroom and changing area privacy. Keep phones and cameras out of changing areas. If a supervision issue comes up, arrange safe supervision with an authorized adult before continuing.

Practice: Walk through your facility or field. Identify a safe individual instruction location, where an observing adult would stand, and what you would do if that space were unavailable. Decide which team channel you will use for scheduling.

A player messages you after an away tournament and says an adult sent inappropriate messages. Thank them for telling you. Ask only what you need for immediate safety, such as whether they are safe or currently with the adult involved. Keep the disclosure private. A safety disclosure needs a different response from a routine scheduling text. Do not automatically include someone who may be involved in the concern.

If there is immediate danger, call 911. If you reasonably suspect child abuse or neglect in New Mexico, report immediately to CYFD, local law enforcement, or the appropriate tribal authority. For incidents in another state, use the appropriate local authorities and follow applicable requirements. Make the external report without waiting for an internal decision. Then use the designated OutKast channel as appropriate.

Record the time, what you observed, what the athlete said, and whom you contacted. Keep original information secure and follow the authorities’ instructions. Never copy or forward sexual images of a minor. After reporting, watch for threats, exclusion, or changes in opportunities tied to the report. Document and raise suspected retaliation separately.

Practice: Write a short, factual note for a fictional example. Identify what you directly observed, what the athlete reported, and what action you took. Keep these separate.