Protecting Children from Violence in Sport: a review with a focus on industrialized countries

By Celia Brackenridge, Kari Fasting, Sandra Kirby andTrisha Leahy

UNICEF has long recognized that there is great value in children’s sport and play, and has been a consistent proponent of these activities in its international development and child protection work. Health, educational achievement and social benefits are just some of the many desirable outcomes associated with organized physical activity. In line with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, UNICEF has also been a strong advocate of children’s right to leisure and play and to have their voices heard in the planning and delivery of the sport activities in which they are involved. During recent years, however, it has become evident that sport is not always a safe space for children, and that the same types of violence and abuse sometimes found in families and communities can also occur in sport and play programmes. Child athletes are rarely consulted about their sporting experiences, and awareness of and education on child protection issues among sport teachers, coaches and other stakeholders is too often lacking. Overall, appropriate structures and policies need to be developed for preventing, reporting and responding appropriately to violence in children’s sport.

Florence, Italy: UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, 2010. 54p.