Hazing

Often dismissed as tradition, bonding, or a harmless rite of passage; hazing is a safeguarding issue hidden in plain sight. Within UK safeguarding frameworks, however, hazing should be understood for what it is.

Hazing is a pattern of abusive behaviour where individuals are pressured, coerced or compelled to participate in humiliating, degrading, risky or harmful activities as a condition of acceptance or belonging. It is rooted in power imbalance, control and silence, rather than genuine consent or choice.

Hazing may involve psychological harm such as intimidation, humiliation or isolation; physical harm including forced exertion or deprivation; sexualised behaviour such as coerced nudity, sexual acts or explicit ‘jokes’; or high-risk behaviours involving alcohol or substances. Even where participation appears voluntary, the presence of peer pressure, fear of exclusion or threat of retaliation means consent is compromised.

When viewed through a safeguarding lens, hazing raises serious concerns about emotional harm, sexual abuse, exploitation and institutional failure to protect. It often operates gradually and collectively, making it harder to recognise as abuse, particularly when harmful practices are framed as ‘tradition’ or ‘team culture’.

Hazing occurs across schools, colleges, universities, sports teams, youth groups and other organised settings. It thrives where acceptance is conditional, hierarchy is unchallenged, and individuals feel unable to speak out. For children and young people in particular, hazing is not merely unkind behaviour. It is a risk factor for significant harm and must be treated as such within safeguarding systems.

Hazing is rarely a single event. As said, it is often a pattern of behaviour designed to test compliance and reinforce power. Safeguarding concerns arise when individuals are pressured to participate in activities they would not otherwise choose, especially where refusal carries social consequences.

Under UK safeguarding guidance, many of these behaviours align with peer-on-peer abuse, sexual harassment, sexual violence, or emotional abuse, particularly where coercion or power imbalance is present.

UK safeguarding guidance is clear that harm does not have to be intentional or extreme to be serious. Hazing becomes a safeguarding issue because:

• Consent is compromised by pressure, fear of exclusion or retaliation
• Power imbalances mirror grooming and exploitation dynamics
• Victims are often isolated, discouraged from disclosing
• Adults may minimise harm, viewing behaviour as tradition or banter

Research consistently shows that hazing does not build resilience or cohesion. Instead, it is associated with anxiety, depression, trauma responses, disengagement from education or sport, and increased risk-taking behaviours.

Teenagers are particularly vulnerable to hazing-related harm. Adolescence is a period marked by identity development, heightened sensitivity to peer approval and limited power to challenge group norms. Research into adolescent development shows that fear of exclusion can override personal boundaries, leading young people to comply with behaviour they find distressing or frightening.

In schools and youth settings, hazing may overlap with:

• Bullying and cyberbullying
• Sexual harassment and harmful sexual behaviour
• Emotional abuse
• Exploitation within peer groups

From a safeguarding perspective, normalising hazing risks masking serious abuse, particularly where sexualised behaviour or coercive control is involved.

Understanding Perpetrators and Harmful Cultures

Safeguarding responses must also consider context. Those who perpetrate hazing are often operating within cultures that reward dominance, loyalty and silence. Research shows many perpetrators have previously been hazed themselves and come to view harm as normal or deserved.

In UK sports teams, universities and youth organisations, hazing may be driven by myths around toughness, masculinity or character-building. Alcohol-fuelled environments further reduce judgement and increase risk. Where adults fail to challenge these norms, cycles of abuse become embedded, and responsibility is diffused across the group.

Bystanders, including peers and adults, play a crucial role in safeguarding outcomes. Studies of bystander behaviour shows that individuals are less likely to intervene when responsibility is unclear or when they fear social consequences.

Institutional silence compounds harm. When organisations prioritise reputation over safety, minimise disclosures, or fail to act decisively, they inadvertently protect those causing harm rather than those experiencing it. UK safeguarding frameworks emphasise that failure to act on known or suspected harm is itself a safeguarding concern.

Hazing and Statutory Safeguarding Duties

From a UK safeguarding perspective, hazing should never be treated as a disciplinary nuisance or a ‘learning experience’. It is a potential indicator of wider safeguarding failings. Schools, colleges, universities, sports clubs and youth organisations have a duty to:

• Recognise hazing as harmful behaviour, not tradition
• Explicitly prohibit hazing within safeguarding and behaviour policies
• Train staff and leaders to identify early warning signs
• Provide clear, confidential reporting routes
• Respond promptly, proportionately and protectively to disclosures
• Safeguard those who raise concerns from retaliation

It is important to remember that where hazing involves sexualised behaviour, violence or coercion, it may meet thresholds for child protection enquiries or criminal investigation under UK law.

Effective safeguarding is not achieved through policies alone. Ending hazing requires cultural change, clear leadership and a commitment to listening to children and young people. The most dangerous aspect of hazing is not only the harm inflicted, but the lessons it teaches:

• Victims learn that belonging requires suffering
• Perpetrators learn that power can be exercised without consequence
• Bystanders learn that silence is safer than speaking up

Safeguarding practice must actively challenge these messages and replace them with clear expectations around dignity, consent, respect and accountability.

Hazing is not a rite of passage. It is a safeguarding issue that demands recognition, robust response and cultural change.

SSS Learning

14 January 2026