Article Prepared by NSW Rape Crisis Centre
for the Newcastle Herald
21 January 2005

The NRL deserves support for its stand against violence against women.

The NRL is leading the way toward a more enlightened approach to the management of unethical to criminal behaviour toward women by some players.

In the last 12 months the often rumoured and sometimes illegal, behaviour towards women by footballers has been horrifically confirmed by a series of allegations of sexual assault. The unfortunate response, by some sections of the league is reminiscent of past denials and cover ups. Fortunately not all in the NRL were prepared to ignore such deeds and to their credit the NRL leadership came out early, clearly stating that behaviour which was disrespectful of women had no place in ruby league. They then backed their position with a considerable commitment of resources.

The NRL recognised that change must be achieved at all levels from players up to those holding leadership roles. Over the past six months more and more clubs and players have come onboard in support of the NRL's response. Player education and cultural change in clubs will begin this season. This is an important step in starting to address thousands of years of entrenched male culture. The NRL's commitment to address some of the negative aspects of this male culture is encouraged, supported and applauded.

Men, men's groups and men's organisations have for too long 'ducked for cover' when its comes to the behaviour of men towards women. The general attitude has ranged from 'it wasn't me', 'its not my responsibility' and 'isn't all that stuff women's stuff?' to the more insidious 'boys will be boys' and the multiple of myths of victim blaming comments, which seek to hold women responsible for the violence men commit.

Women's groups have argued for some time that men must take responsibility for the harmful behaviour of violent men. While the vast majority of men are respectful and ethical in their interactions with women, there are a small minority of men whose behaviour ranges from unethical to violent, brutal and criminal. The NRL, under the leadership of Mr Gallop, has taken the first step towards strengthening its ethical majority and taking responsibility for its minority. This is the first male dominated organisation to take such a step.

The challenge now is for other men's organisations, whether they be sporting, leisure or business based to follow the NRL's lead and work within their own organisations to improve male dominated cultural attitudes towards women. Women have lobbied and made phenomenal changes in the laws, services offered, cultural practices and general attitudes held to the role of women and to violence against women. Still acts of terror and violence continue to be perpetrated against women and children on a daily basis. Its time the majority of men, who reject the attitudes and actions of the minority, took their lead from the NRL. When a man makes offensive comments or takes an aggressive attitude or continues to force himself on a women who is clearly unhappy, men need to step in, state their disapproval and reject the behaviours as unmanly. Such behaviours are an insult to all non violent men as well as being harmful to women.

One of the interesting outcomes of the NRL research was that a number of footballers said that at some time or another they were in, or witnessed, a situation with which they were very uncomfortable. They also said that they felt that if they were to intervene others in the group would ridicule them and they therefore felt powerless to act. The researchers heard this scenario often enough to suggest that a number of footballers would have been referring to the same situations and if one would have spoken up, rather than being worried about being ridiculed, others would have supported his intervention. This alone shows that if the ethical majority of men decide to act, change is not only possible but probable.

The NRL has a lot of work in front of it but by the very act of taking action they are leading the way in attitudinal change. We hope their stance will have a ripple effect and that their actions are the beginning of the next vital stage of men and women working together to finally achieve a society where denigration, terror and violence against women and children is a rarity rather than a common and daily ocurrence.

Prepared by:
Karen Willis and Sandy Goldstone
NSW Rape Crisis Centre
PO Box 555, Drummoyne NSW 2047
Ph: 9819 7357, Fax: 9819 6295
Email: karen@nswrapecrisis.com.au
www.nswrapecrisis.com.au

24.1.05