Safeguarding in sports: Going beyond buzzwords

Arthur Choga

BEYOND signing a letter of indemnity absolving a school or club of any blame in the event of an accident and other mishap, what guarantees are there that your child is going to be safe and under good care?

What are the guarantees that even a national team player is safe when competing at the highest level?

Take the example of recent events in women’s football, gymnastics and American football, where high-profile cases of abuse of athletes have come to the fore.

One wonders then, if a senior player’s safety is not guaranteed at an international sporting event, how safe are our young sportspersons?

Sport has long been celebrated as an important part of a child’s growth and development.

Numerous studies support the view that sport plays a vital role in increasing physical and mental wellness, personal confidence, leadership, as well as time and people management.

Safeguarding in sport is described as the process of protecting children and adults from harm by providing a safe space in which to play sport and be active.

An increasingly aware world means the quest for safety and security among sportspeople has become a major concern.

A key part of child safeguarding, for example, is spreading the message about keeping children safe and building a culture of always acting in the best interest of all children.

A vital difference between safeguarding adults and safeguarding children is that, as well as focusing on creating processes and systems to safeguard, there also needs to be a culture that consults with adults on every decision that affects them.

Adults can make their own decisions, but it becomes very important to ensure they have all the information relevant to help them make their choices.

Informed (and clearly understood) consent is vital.

The largest single sporting association by membership is the Federation of International Football Associations (FIFA).

It has taken a step towards addressing safeguarding issues.

“Safeguarding means taking proactive action to protect people from harm or abuse through appropriate prevention and response measures and promoting their wellbeing,” says FIFA.

“It means doing everything possible to identify and address risks and to prevent any kind of harm or abuse from happening, such as physical, sexual, emotional abuse and neglect, trafficking and exploitation.

“It also means having appropriate systems in place to adequately address and respond to concerns.”

Child protection is an essential part of safeguarding and refers to the action taken in response to a specific concern for a child or children who may be suffering or is/are at risk of suffering harm or abuse.

“It requires referral to specialised child-protection services, law-enforcement agencies and expert local organisations that are trained to advise on, and manage, cases, if concerns arise about a child’s welfare.”

It goes further to say: “Everyone in football has the right to protection from harassment, abuse and exploitation – be it physical, emotional or, sexual, neglect or bullying. When members of the football family, such as players, coaches, officials, volunteers or staff members, are subjected to or engage in, abusive behaviour or misconduct, it undermines FIFA’s mission and is inconsistent with promoting the integrity of football and the values of safe sport.

“Children (all those under 18) have specific rights to protection, as articulated in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989), because of their need to be cared for and owing to their dependency on others. FIFA also identifies young people over the age of 18, women and persons with disabilities as especially vulnerable groups who must be safeguarded in the delivery of our game.”

Article 23 of the FIFA Code of Ethics says: “Threats, the promise of advantages, coercion and all forms of sexual abuse, harassment and exploitation are particularly prohibited.”

These are strong words.

To show how serious they are about playing by their own rules, when the Confederation of African Football (CAF) and Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) held a schools tournament in December last year, they included training on safeguarding.

Safeguarding goes beyond sporting associations.

I have picked FIFA because football is widely played and the potential for abuse increases because of this.

Local authorities, schools, religious organisations, individual clubs and regulatory bodies all have an obligation to show that they are seriously concerned about and committed to upholding the safety of participants.

At a national level, several sport disciplines have fallen short of safeguarding best practice, with complaints raised about leaders, officials and even senior players.

It would be good to have a national look at the state of safeguarding in sport in the country, and then having a deliberate effort to ensure that every sporting discipline makes a commitment to creating, upholding and publicising safeguarding protocols.

The protocols should be clear on reporting procedures, investigative processes, feedback, support and post-legal action.

As a nation with ambitions of being taken seriously in sports, we must walk the talk on safeguarding.

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