What is the Respect & Responsibility Policy?
The Respect and Responsibility Policy represents the Australian Football League’s commitment to addressing violence against women and to work towards creating safe, supportive and inclusive environments for women and girls across the football industry as well as the broader community.
The Respect and Responsibility Policy is about shifting attitudes – ensuring that people throughout the Australian Football industry are aware, and have structures in place, that recognise that violence against women and behaviour that harms or degrades women, is never acceptable.
Over the past four years the AFL has worked closely with VicHealth to implement the Respect and Responsibility Program. The Program has focused on:
- Developing model anti-sexual harassment and anti-sexual discrimination procedures across the AFL and its 16 Clubs;
- Developing organisational policies and procedures to ensure a safe, supportive and inclusive environment for women;
- Creating changes to AFL rules relating to ‘Conduct Unbecoming’ which covered the specific context of allegations of sexual assault;
- Developing targeted education programs; and
- Creating model policies and procedures which can be implemented at the community club level.
The AFL maintains its commitment to continuing to design initiatives and program approaches that gain support from within the football community itself, where Clubs recognise the unique role they play in promoting equal and respectful relationships with women, and see the principles of ‘respect’, ‘responsibility’ and ‘participation’ as key to any foundation on which club culture should be built.
Player Education 2005 - 2010
Since the launch of the Policy in 2005, all AFL players and clubs have received two Modules of the AFL’s Respect and Responsibility Education Program. Module One was delivered in 2005, whilst Module Two was delivered throughout 2007 with the assistance of former players Jason McCartney and Mark Bickley.
Delivery of Module Three will commence in late 2009 and will compliment a range of Club Based Respect and Responsibility initiatives being implemented.
In March 2009, the AFL, in cooperation with State League/TAC Cup Clubs, commenced delivering a State League Respect and Responsibility Module. The aims of the Module are to:
- Promote safe and inclusive environments for women and girls at all levels of Australian Football and the wider community;
- Increase players understanding of how sexual assault, violence, harassment and abuse can affect the lives of women and girls;
- Provide practical information that assists players to understand the meaning of consent, and identify situations that have the potential to go wrong; and,
- Provide players with information that may assist them to build and maintain social relationships with women that are healthy and respectful.
These sessions will be delivered throughout 2009/2010 and will be co-facilitated by former players.
Working with Others
The AFL continues to work in close collaboration with stakeholders from across Government and non-government sectors, to develop community based programs and initiatives which promote the development of respectful relationships and the rejection of violence.
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