On the 21st of November Cross Cultures conducted an advanced training and lessons learned seminar on the topic of Safeguarding children in sports. Coaches and safeguarding focal points from Jordan and Tunisia participated in the seminar along with Hanne Lund Madsen, Global programme director and safeguarding focal point for Cross Cultures.
The advanced seminar discussed and developed, among other, guidelines for preventing and responding to sexual harassment in sports.
“We have strengthened our youth coach training by introducing Prevention of Sexual Harassment and we find that we hereby also are unlocking a taboo around sexual harassment. We are committed to ensure the protection of the personal integrity of the young coaches“ says Hanne Lund Madsen.
“It is very promising as our partners are multiplying our approach. Thus the Tunisian Sport for All Federation is going to cascade our approach on child safeguarding and prevention of sexual harassment to all its 156 sports association that are members of the Federation. Also, the Faculties of Sport and Physics in the University of Tunis have approached the Federation and the Cross Cultures Youth Coaches are now teaching university students in child safeguarding in sports and prevention of sexual harassment in the sports sector ” she continues.
“Also in Moldova, we see a multiplying effect as our safeguarding project there is now having a training seminar with 72 school teachers on Cross Cultures fun sport approach, our child-centred learning didactics and our child safeguarding in sports tools. This is truly pioneering work in the field of child protection and social responsibility in sports. ” underlines Hanne Lund Madsen, who has been driving the social responsibility agenda in Cross Cultures during the last two years.
Cross Cultures had developed a policy with operational measures for safeguarding children in sports, that includes the prevention of sexual harassment and violation of children. However, we must emphasize that it is equally important to prevent and respond to sexual harassment between coaches or colleagues. Cross Cultures approach essentially follows the same steps as in Safeguarding in Sports, starting with understanding sexual harassment, recognising types of unacceptable sexual harassment, identifying areas of risk etc.
