Gender-based Violence on Campus: The Role of Sport in Driving Lasting Change

Gender-based violence (GBV) continues to present a significant challenge across higher education, with serious implications for student safety, wellbeing and participation in campus life. Universities are increasingly expected to take a proactive, whole-of-institution approach to preventing and responding to GBV, including within co-curricular environments such as sport, where large numbers of students engage socially and competitively.

The JANZSSA professional paper Gender-based Violence on Campus: UniSport’s Experience With the Role of Sport in Driving Lasting Change highlights the unique role university sport can play in shaping culture, influencing behaviour and supporting sector-wide GBV prevention efforts. Drawing on UniSport Australia’s experience, the paper demonstrates how structured sporting environments provide powerful platforms to promote respect, inclusion, accountability and safety, while also addressing known risk factors associated with events, team culture and social activities.

The research highlights the importance of clear governance, risk-aware event planning, education and training, bystander intervention, accessible reporting pathways and trauma-informed responses within university sport settings. It also underscores the value of aligning sport-specific initiatives, such as UniSport’s National Good Practice Event Guidelines, with broader institutional strategies and emerging national policy frameworks to ensure consistency, accountability and lasting impact.

For the university sector, the paper reinforces that sport is more than participation and performance, but a strategic lever for cultural change. Embedding GBV prevention and response measures within university sport strengthens institutional capacity to meet regulatory expectations, safeguard student wellbeing and contribute to safer, more equitable and inclusive campus communities.

Click here to read the full paper.

Citation: Doulton, M., Sinderberry, M., & Swindell, C. (2026). Gender-based Violence on Campus: UniSport’s Experience With the Role of Sport in Driving Lasting Change. JANZSSA – Journal of the Australian and New Zealand Student Services Association, 34(1), 131–140. (Link)