Global sports organisations celebrate Safer Sport Day 2020
On 8 August, sports organisations around the world celebrated Safer Sport Day. Championed by the International Safeguards for Children in Sport Initiative, a coalition of more than 60 organisations working together to make sport safer for children, Safer Sport Day was about raising awareness and taking action. The International Platform on Sport and Development (sportanddev) is also a founding member of the coalition.
The theme for 2020 was ‘Take the Pledge.’ Organisations working with children in sport are being asked to signal their commitment by pledging to embed safeguarding across their work.
Sport can help children build essential life skills and better futures while driving sustainable social change - but sport can only do this if it is delivered in a safe and supportive environment.
It is every child’s right to be safe during sport, and it is every organisation’s responsibility to protect them. One incident of abuse in sport is one too many.
Safer Sport Day 2020 aimed to highlight this issue and connect organisations to the resources they need to strengthen safeguarding in their work.
The International Safeguards for Children in Sport is a free resource, designed to guide organisations on their safeguarding journey. Available in 11 languages, the eight safeguards were developed with input from organisations across six continents. From large international federations and professional top-flight sports clubs to local grassroots NGOs operating in resource-poor settings, but still doing all they can to make sport safer for children – united by a single aim, all children, everywhere, safe in sport.
To mark the 8th of the 8th, the International Safeguards for Children in Sport Initiative highlighted the individual safeguards and the different language versions through social media. The initiative is also hosting a series of webinars for organisations in different regions:
#BeAChampionForChildren #SafeInSport #SaferSportDay
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