Sports, A Safer Space for Children
Key points by Ioanna Georgia Eskiadi
During today’s webinar, we discussed sports as a safe place for children as well as ways to safeguard and protect children. Millions of children across the world participate in different sports activities on a regular basis. There is widespread evidence on the benefits of regular sport participation for children such as improved physical and mental well-being; personal and educational development; and social inclusion. However, working with youth comes with an added responsibility of ensuring a safe environment and healthy relationships. Youth in sports are sometimes at risk of experiencing emotional, sexual, physical and verbal abuse as well as bullying. It is therefore paramount to have serious, thoughtful discussions about the relationships youth build through sports, both with adults and peer-to-peer.
Knowledge is an advantage since it helps children to understand and act when they are abused. The most fundamental factor is to create an environment where the children can learn and express themselves by creating a safety net. People who are working with children are primarily responsible for their protection and safeguarding. Thus, it is important to ensure the existence of a policy for children that will create awareness. The most important thing is to have honest communication with the children and inform them about the policy. Coaches have to respond and deal with children responsibly. Sports are often associated with boys and men, so it is important to think about how we will involve girls and women in these rules and policies.
Sports are important for violent prevention. It is vital to help people recognize solutions, build self-esteem and empower children to act in unsafe situations. It is also important to train adults and children on policies and ensure accountability. There are protective norms that can protect children from sexual abuse like policies that protect children from sexual abuse, policies that protect those in subordinate positions (boss, prison guards, religious leaders, public housing) and policies that require professional license (lawyers, doctors, teachers, counselors and therapists). There are other rules that can be implemented such as coaches shall not have romantic or sexual relationships with the athletes they coach, regardless of age or consent. To solve the issue of sexual abuse and violence, one must think of power rather than protection.
Ethical coaching is to have one-on-one conversations with an athlete while remaining at an observable and interruptible distance from others and not sending texts, emails or calls to an athlete separately from parents or teammates. An ethical coach will not connect with an athlete on social media, unless it is a team-wide contact, will not give an athlete a gift (including food), will not fat shame or humiliate an athlete, will not hit or kick an athlete, will not throw objects, such as sporting equipment, and will not require an athlete to practice or play on a significant injury.
The discussion is available on Digital Communication Network FB Page.
Key points
● Train children and families to spot how molesters can trick them.
● Molesters over time get obedience and compliance through grooming.
● Sports can be used to deliver messages about sexual abuse and gender equality.
● Parents play an important role in their children’s behavior.
● It is important to ensure that young people understand what safeguarding means.
● We need to raise the awareness of young people.
● Organizations need to have policies for the safeguarding of children.
● We need to support and empower children.
● It is important to create spaces that allow people talk about their concerns and fears related to child safeguarding
● Organizations and groups can create a non-judgmental culture.
Speakers:
Bernie Fox is Child Protection Manager at Ulster Council in United Kingdom.
Yianny Ioannou is the director of Operations at Tackle-Africa.
Nancy Hogshead-Makar is from Champion Women, an organization about advocacy for girls and women in sports, and a former athlete swimmer with 3 medals from USA.
Kellie Magnus is Country Lead at Fight for Peace in Jamaica.
Dr. Subhomoy Bhaduri is the Head of Training at Magic Bus India Foundation in India.
This webinar is part of World Learning’s International Sports Programming Initiative for Middle East, North Africa, and Sub-Saharan Africa Program (ISPI) — Virtual Together program, a series of virtual events, launched in the context of the COVID-19 crisis. ISPI is a program of U.S. Department of State’s Sports Diplomacy division. The series aims to engage the sports community globally, to creatively problem-solve, share digital tools and work together, follow health guidance, and continue to promote active, healthy lifestyles both physically and mentally throughout this crisis. Additional modules related to these objectives are being developed and will be announced.
The webinar is produced by Digital Communication Network, a diverse professional coalition in the digital space.
