Equality and Diversity is not ‘political correctness gone mad’, nor is it a check-box exercise. It is about ensuring everybody has the same rights as one another, and is afforded dignity, respect and safety in your club regardless of any defining characteristics they may possess.
We, as an association and collective, fundamentally respect everybody’s right to enjoy safe, fair and professional martial arts tuition. Accordingly, it is a compulsory requirement of your membership that you act in a way that helps to foster this ethic to all of your club and students. Some of your obligations under the Equality & Diversity guidance are;
To ensure a safe space in which people of all backgrounds, genders, ages, religions, races, sexual orientations, beliefs and any other defining characteristics are welcome to learn martial arts in.
To protect the right of equality amongst any diversity present within your club.
To take disciplinary action and/or report immediately any conduct by fellow instructors, members, students or club participants that is in anyway fostering or promoting inequality.
To conduct yourself and your club in a manner that will not bring into disrepute the association’s good name in anyway with respect to Diversity and Equality. This means employing a sensible, sensitive approach to your communications (personally and as a club) both online and offline.
This list is by no means exhaustive, and it remains your responsibility to ensure best practice in relation to your ‘D&E’ at club level. We are always happy to discuss any concerns and to offer advice if you’re not sure as to whether or not you’re hitting your requirements under this regulatory mandate.
Here’s our official policy on the matter;
BMABA Equality & Diversity Policy
Director’s Comments
The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association is, and has always been, committed to ensuring everybody has the right and the opportunity to access quality, safe martial arts training. We are inclusive by nature, and remain committed to ensuring a responsible and ethical approach to representing martial arts. We trust this will be reflective in our equality policy, which aims to ensure everybody has the opportunity to access quality martial arts, regardless of any other factors.
Policy Statement
The association endorses the principle of sports equality and will strive to ensure that everyone who wishes to be involved in martial arts, boxing and combat sports, whether as students, coaches, instructors, sensies, assistant teaching staff, auxiliary staff, parents, carers and associated, has a genuine and equal opportunity to participate to the full extent of their own ambitions and abilities, without regard to their age, sex, gender identity, disability, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, religion, race, ethnic origin, socioeconomic status or sexual orientation; and can be assured of an environment in which their rights, dignity and individual worth are respected, and in particular that they are able to enjoy their sport without the threat of intimidation, victimisation, harassment or abuse.
Legal obligations
The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association is committed to avoiding and eliminating unfair discrimination of any kind in martial arts, boxing and combat sports, and will under no circumstances condone unlawful discriminatory practices. The organisation takes a zero tolerance approach to harassment. Examples of the relevant legislation and the behaviours in question are given in the Appendix.
Positive Action
The principle of Sports Equality goes further than simply complying with legislation. It entails taking positive steps to counteract the effects of physical or cultural barriers – whether real or perceived – that restrict the opportunity for all sections of the community to participate equally and fully.
The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association will therefore seek to institute, support or contribute to appropriate measures or initiatives that enable access to martial arts, boxing and combat sports and participation in associated activities by people from any group that is under-represented in the sport or has difficulty accessing it.
Implementation
The following steps will be taken to publicise this policy and promote sports equality in martial arts, boxing and combat sports:-
A copy of this document will be published via the BMABA handbook
The Association’s Director will take overall responsibility for ensuring that the policy is observed.
The Committee and Senior Management Team will take full account of the policy in arriving at all decisions in relation to activities of the BMABA.
The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association will collaborate fully with any surveys or other initiatives designed to assess the level of participation of different sections of the community in martial arts, boxing and combat sports and will take account of the findings in developing measures to promote and enhance sports equality in martial arts, boxing and combat sports.
The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association will provide access to training for all of its members to raise awareness of both collective and individual responsibilities.
It will be a condition of The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association membership that member clubs:
formally adopt this policy, or produce their own equality and diversity policy in terms that are consistent with it; and
take steps to ensure that their Committees, members and volunteers behave in accordance with the policy, including where appropriate taking disciplinary action under the Club’s constitution; and
ensure that access to membership is open and inclusive
support such measures and initiatives that The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association may institute or take part in to advance the aims of this policy.
It will be a condition of The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association corporate membership that individual and corporate members
commit to act in accordance with this policy; and
support such measures and initiatives that The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association may institute or take part in to advance the aims of this policy.
Responsibility, Monitoring and Evaluation
The Director will be responsible for ensuring the implementation of this policy. The Committee / Director will review all British Martial Arts & Boxing Association activities and initiatives against the aims of the policy on an annual basis, and will collective discuss with the senior management team as required.
The Committee, or where appropriate Senior Management Team, will review any measures or initiatives that The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association may institute or take part in to promote and enhance sports equality and will report their findings formally to the Director.
The Committee or Senior Management Team will review the policy itself at intervals of no more than three years, (or when necessary due to changes in legislation) and will report with recommendations to the Director.
Complaints and Compliance
The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association regards all of the forms of discriminatory behaviour, including (but not limited to) behaviour described in the Appendix as unacceptable, and is concerned to ensure that individuals feel able to raise any bona fide grievance or complaint related to such behaviour without fear of being penalised for doing so.
Appropriate disciplinary action will be taken against any employee, member or volunteer who violates the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association Equality and Diversity Policy.
Any person who believes that he or she has been treated in a way that they consider to be in breach of this policy by a member club, individual member or corporate member of The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association, should first complain to that person or organisation. If this does not resolve the matter, or in the case of allegations of discriminatory behaviour is against The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association itself, the person may raise the matter by writing directly with our safeguarding team. Contact can be made via [email protected]. Any person or organisation against whom a complaint has been made will be informed of what is alleged and given the opportunity to present their side of the matter.
The outcome of the investigation will be notified to the parties in writing and reported to the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association management team. If the investigation reveals unacceptable discriminatory behaviour on the part of an individual member, corporate member, or member club the Committee and/or Senior Management Team may impose sanctions on that person or organisation in line with the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association’s code of conduct and disciplinary policy. Sanctions may range from a written reminder concerning future conduct up to and including temporary or permanent expulsion from The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association. In deciding what sanction is appropriate in a particular case the Executive Committee will consider the severity of the matter and take account of any mitigating circumstances.
Where the violation of the Equality Policy by way of harassment, victimisation or discrimination amount to a criminal offence, the appropriate authority will be informed.
In the event that an individual or organisation associated with The British Martial Arts & Boxing Association is subject to allegations of unlawful discrimination in a court or tribunal, the British Martial Arts & Boxing Association Director will cooperate fully with any investigation carried out by the relevant lawful authorities and, subject to the outcome, may consider taking action as above in relation to the matter concerned.
APPENDIX – Relevant legislation and forms of unacceptable discrimination
Legal rights
Discrimination has been legally defined through a series of legislative acts, including the Race Relations Act, the Sex Discrimination Act, the Disability Discrimination Act and the Equality Act 2006.
In April 2010, the Equality Act 2010 received Royal Assent. The Equality Act 2010 is a new law which harmonises where possible, and in some cases extends, protection from discrimination. It applies throughout the UK and came into force in October 2010.
Discrimination refers to unfavourable treatment on the basis of particular characteristics, which are known as the ‘protected characteristics’. Under the Equality Act 2010, the protected characteristics are defined as age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex (gender) and sexual orientation.
Under the Equality Act 2010, individuals are protected from discrimination ‘on grounds of’ a protected characteristic. This means that individuals will be protected if they have a characteristic, are assumed to have it, associate with someone who has it or with someone who is assumed to have it.
Forms of discrimination and discriminatory behaviour include the following:
Direct discrimination
Direct discrimination can be described as less favourable treatment on the grounds of one of the protected characteristics.
Indirect discrimination
Indirect discrimination occurs when a provision, criterion or practice is applied to an individual or group that would put persons of a particular characteristic at a particular disadvantage compared with other persons.
Discrimination arising from disability
When a disabled person is treated unfavourably because of something connected with their disability and this unfavourable treatment cannot be justified, this is unlawful. This type of discrimination only relates to disability.
Harassment
Harassment is defined as unwanted conduct relating to a protected characteristic that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity, or which creates an intimidating or hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment for that person.
Victimisation
It is unlawful to treat a person less favourably because he or she has made allegations or brought proceedings under the anti-discrimination legislation, or because they have helped another person to do so. To do so would constitute victimisation.
Bullying
Bullying is defined as a form of personal harassment involving the misuse of power, influence or position to persistently criticise, humiliate or undermine an individual.
The exception to this is pregnancy and maternity, which does not include protection by association or assumption – a woman is only protected from discrimination on grounds of her own pregnancy.