To "keep children safe in sports" means to prevent and respond to any form by which the child can be negatively affected – emotionally, verbally or physically – during physical training or when they practice performance or recreational sports. Terre des hommes (Tdh) has launched in October 2019 a unique European project, aimed to promote child safeguarding policies in sports settings in Romania and Greece, as a means to protect and safeguard children. Thousands of children (12-18 years old) who practice sports, and professionals in club sports and camps in both countries will benefit from the project.
"We want all the professionals in sports to be better informed and encouraged to respect children's rights, to react properly to any situation in which the rights of children in sports are violated, and also that children are well informed about their rights", said Kirsten Theuns, Head of the Eastern Europe Delegation Terre des hommes.
The specific objectives of the project are to ensure that children are protected in sports and camp settings through dedicated safeguarding policies, to build the capacity of professionals in contact with children, to empower children and to encourage multi-country exchange and cooperation regarding child safeguarding in sports and recreational settings.
You might find the graphics attached to this article useful in understanding the project.
In Romania, Tdh benefits of the official support of the National Authority for Child Protection (ANPDCA) and of the partnerships with Romanian Football and Gymnastics Federations, but invites all sports federations to join the initiative.
The “Keeping Children Safe in Sports” project, coordinated by Tdh Romania and implemented in partnership with Tdh Hellas (Greece) and Tdh Regional Office in Hungary is funded by “Rights, Citizenship and Equality” Programme of the European Union and it is undergoing until September 2021.