About one in five children in Europe are victims of some form of sexual violence.
This includes sexual touching, rape, sexual harassment, grooming, exhibitionism, exploitation in prostitution and pornography, online sexual extortion and coercion…
Sexual abuse often leaves scars for life
BECAUSE OF ABUSE OF POWER AND TRUST
Between 70% and 85% of children know their abuser
The vast majority of children are victims of people they trust
ABUSE HAPPENS IN SPORT TOO
In sport, children can be at risk because:
a high tolerance of physical violence and injuries
authoritarian leadership and unequal power relationships between coaches and athletes
scandal avoidance: incidents are silenced
male-dominated gender ratio
physical contact is often required
reward structures
inappropriate sexual behaviour is often tolerated, discrimination and gender inequality accepted
potential risk situations: changing rooms, showers, carpooling, overnight stays
It’s hard for children to talk
About 1/3 of abused children never tell anyone
Some children are not able to recognise the abuse: very young children, children with disabilities
Fear of not being believed or fear of consequences: reprisals and possible impact on family, the career, the reputation
Shame and guilt
Children do not know whom to tell
Athletes are supposed to be strong, vulnerability is considered a weakness
Confusion : some children believe being in a true "relationship"
Adults must break the silence
Sport can become an empowering and protective environment for children
It is up to adults to prevent abuse, protect children and help to fight impunity
Silence breakers
These are athletes, coaches, opinion leaders and other individuals who COMMIT to take and promote concrete MEASURES to stop sexual abuse of children in sport
Game changers
These are governments, organisations, institutions, federations, clubs and teams who are PARTNERING with us to introduce the CHANGES needed to make sport a safe and empowering environment FOR ALL CHILDREN
We can help
The Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse details the measures that must be taken
It protects children in 48 European states
To stop child abuse in sport,
the Council of Europe helps to:
Improve legislations and policies
Set up child safeguarding strategies for sports structures, activities and events
Develop codes of conduct
Train sports professionals: coaches, sports managers and policy makers
Empower parents
Empower children
To know more
There are many Council of Europe tools available to help you:
A project in cooperation with the European Union to protect children in sport
Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS)
Our work for an ethical, inclusive and safe sport
Building a Europe for and with Children
Our work to protect children’s rights and eliminate violence against children
Contact us