HERO Safeguarding Blog

The Importance of a Human Rights Approach to Child Safeguarding at Mega-Sporting Events

07 Aug 2024

Author - Claudia Villa-Hughes

On Safe Sport Day 2024, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) wants to highlight the importance of a human rights approach to child safeguarding in sport and bring a focus on host cities of mega-sporting events (MSEs). CSHR’s Generation 2026 project is working with host cities of the FIFA World Cup 2026 to enhance child safeguarding in practice around the event and as a legacy from hosting. In this commentary, CSHR’s Head of Safeguarding Claudia Villa-Hughes sets out a framework for what can be done to promote safeguarding at MSEs.

What is Child Safeguarding?

Child safeguarding refers to all measures that are implemented to promote children’s wellbeing and prevent and respond to harm and abuse. Effective safeguarding requires proactive strategies as well as responsive measures to address any incidents of abuse or concerns raised.

MSEs can pose risks of harm to children who are participating (as athletes or spectators) or are impacted by MSEs due to living in the host communities. Strong safeguarding practices need to be in place to address these risks, and to enable effective reporting and response. 

MSEs also generate increased interest, resources, and participation in day-to-day sport. They therefore present an important opportunity to review and strengthen child safeguarding in the context of day-to-day sport.

Key Components of Child Safeguarding

Safeguarding measures must take into account contexts that can exacerbate risks and/or increase vulnerabilities (e.g. age, physical/intellectual ability, language barrier, etc.) 

Three key elements of safeguarding are: 

  • Prevention
  • Risk identification
  • Response

It is important to highlight that child safeguarding must adopt a Child-Centred approach which focuses on the child’s needs and rights in all activities and decisions.

Safeguarding Risks for Children During Major Sporting Events*

MSEs pose unique safeguarding challenges. The influx of visitors, heightened media and social media attention, and the scale of these events can create environments where children are particularly vulnerable to various risks.

Not having strong child safeguarding measures in place increases the risks of harm to children, which can have effects that last long into adulthood. Examples of these risks in relation to mega-sporting events can include: 

1. Increased Risk of Exploitation

Large gatherings at major events can attract those looking to exploit vulnerable individuals, including children who may be at heighten risk of:

  • Child Trafficking: MSEs can create opportunities for traffickers to exploit children for labour, sex, or other forms of abuse and exploitation (United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, 2020).
  • Labour Exploitation: the preparation towards hosting major events and/or the labour demands of such events can lead to instances of children being forced into child labour, particularly in the construction, manufacturing (e.g. supply chain) and hospitality sectors (International Labour Organization, 2017 and 2022).
  • Criminal and/or Sexual Exploitation: increased tourism can lead to a heightened risk of children being criminally or sexually exploited both from within the local host communities or trafficked from outside the host community. Extra safeguards must be put in place for children who are already known to be at risk of exploitation and for children who may become vulnerable to exploitation.  

2. Displacement and Separation

Large-scale events often lead to significant urban development, which can displace local communities. This displacement can result in:

  • Separation from wider family and community: Families and children being forcibly evicted or relocated brings separation from  wider family/community networks leading to potential marginalisation and/or isolation. In certain instances, people who opposed relocation have been arrested causing high distress for families and children (Human Rights Watch, 2015).
  • Living in Unsafe Conditions: Families displaced by event preparations may be moved in temporary or substandard housing, where children may face higher risk of harm and higher level of stress affecting overall mental health (UNICEF, 2023).

3. Increased Vulnerability in Crowded Environments

The crowded and often chaotic nature of major sporting events can pose significant risks to children, such as:

  • Physical Harm: Children can easily get lost in crowds, leading to distress and potential physical harm. Having a missing child protocol in place that is known by all involved in the delivery of an MSE is key to ensure a prompt response. (Child Protection in Sport Unit, 2023).
  • Exposure to Violence and Crime: The intensity of mega sporting events can sometimes lead to violent incidents or criminal activities, which children might inadvertently become involved in or witness (World Health Organization, 2020).
  • Emotional/Psychological harm: a child spectator or a child athlete may be witnessing racist, homophobic or sectarian chanting or behaviour by adult spectators. 

4. Inadequate Supervision and Support

During major events, resources and attention can often be stretched, leading to:

  • Lack of Supervision: With the focus on managing large crowds and logistics, there may be insufficient supervision for children, including child volunteers or child spectators particularly in public areas like for example fans zones. 
  • Limited Access to Support Services: Lack of knowledge of how to access essential services like healthcare, social services, and child protection agencies as well as their capacity to respond to increased demands during MSEs may make it harder to access support.
  • Lack of access to appropriate support and checks: especially in the context of child volunteers there may be occasions when they are asked to volunteer for long hours, lack appropriate supervision ratio or support from appropriately vetted staff/volunteers. Access to appropriate food, drinks and clothing for cold/hot weather must also be considered. 

5. Risk to child athletes

  • Psychological abuse: unhelpful criticism of body or performance, being shouted and sworn at, overly pressured to perform, bullying
  • Sexual harassment and abuse:  this can include peer-to-peer abuse;  adults in a position of trust abusing power imbalaces in relation to young athletes.
  • Online abuse, discrimination and verbal abuse: from spectators, peers and media. 
  • Physical abuse: this is when non-accidental harm is caused . A child is hurt or injured by for example forced routines, age inappropriate or physically inappropriate training. Extreme dieting, training and the administration of doping or inappropriate substances can also be considered a form of child abuse. 

 

*This is not an exhaustive list of risks posed to children at MSEs. It is meant to provide a starting point for reflection and discussion. It must also be considered that abuse does not often happen in isolation and multiple forms of abuse may be present (e.g. physical, emotional abuse and neglect). 

Mitigating Safeguarding Risks During Major Sporting Events

Child Safeguarding requires a multi-agency approach, with roles for agencies that include specialised child protection services, law enforcement, and local expert organisations.  Private sector entities also have responsibilities, for example those working in transport, security and hospitality,  as well as sports clubs and associations. Defining roles, understanding jurisdictions and ensuring accountability is an important aspect of safeguarding that should be planned for before the event itself. 

In addition to embedding the 8 Safeguards for Children in Sport, event owners, organising committees and host cities should adopt a proactive approach to safeguarding. Practical solutions include: 

  1. Ensure Comprehensive Planning to integrate safeguarding measures (including mapping nature and level of risks) into the early stages of the Mega-Sporting Event lifecycle, ensuring that policies and procedures are in place to protect children (FIFA, 2022).
  2. Assign oversight responsibility to a person (Safeguarding lead) or a team to promptly and adequately respond to concern raised.
  3. Consult with children and other affected groups when designing approaches. 
  4. Implement Screening of staff and volunteers. Consider safeguarding approaches for travelling delegations. 
  5. Collaboration with Local Governments: Work closely with local child protection agencies, law enforcement, and community organisations to coordinate efforts and provide robust safeguarding support. 
  6. Conduct Training and Awareness Campaigns to instil a safeguarding culture across all event staff and volunteers, athletes and support personnels, emphasising the importance of child safeguarding, relevant policies and procedures, and how to recognize and report concerns. Ensure reporting information is clearly communicated to the public.
  7. Collaboration across Organising Committee Functional Areas, especially security, transport and volunteers. These are the ‘eyes and ears’ on the ground. The safeguarding team must ensure there is clear communication across functional areas and everyone on the ground knows how to recognise and report a concern.  
  8. Establish clear reporting and response mechanisms that address potential barriers to reporting (e.g. language, culture, power dynamics, etc.)
  9. Creating Safe Spaces: Designate child-friendly areas and ensure there are safe spaces managed by appropriate adults where children can go if they feel threatened or lost. This includes areas outside stadia such as fan zones. 
  10. Establish clear monitoring and review systems to quickly identify and address what is working and where to make changes.

Child Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility

Child safeguarding is a critical responsibility that requires the commitment and collaboration of everyone involved in organising and hosting MSEs. By understanding the unique risks these events pose to children and implementing comprehensive safeguarding measures, we can together create safe environments where children can enjoy the excitement and opportunities these events bring, free from harm, abuse and exploitation. Protecting the well-being of children must always be a priority and can be a fitting legacy from major event hosting. 

References

Related Articles