On 26 October 2021, the NGO Association for the Empowerment of Children and Families “AVE Copiii” under the grant agreement with the Council of Europe project Combating violence against children in the Republic of Moldova organised an International Conference on Safe Sport for Children: International Practices for Child Protection in Sport for sports coaches and teachers. The activity was organised in cooperation with the National Olympic and Sports Committee and the Ministry of Education and Research.
The Conference main purpose was to exchange experiences and practices for the prevention of violence against children in sports, especially the child sexual exploitation and abuse in sport, as well as to present and discuss the measures to address the risks of violence in sports activities with children. The conference was moderated by Cristina Rigman, Leadership and Adaptability Strategist, Speaker, Trainer and former General Secretary of Child Pact.
Around 80 professionals working with children in sport participated in the International Conference. At the same time, international experts with extensive experience in protection of children’s rights in sport, as Kirsty Burrows, Maria Herczog and Anne Tiivas presented relevant best practices of Great Britain, Hungary and United States of America during the conference.
In his welcoming speech, William Massolin, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau mentioned that “Sport could be seen as universal language, which includes discipline, friendship, fun and achievements. Sport should not be a place of violence. To stop violence against children in sport several interventions should be undertaken. Most important are training of professionals working with children and specific internal documents regulating the child protection in sport should be developed and implemented”.
At the same time, in his message, Nicolae Juravschi, the President of the National Olympic and Sports Committee stressed that “The International Conference is another step taken by the National Olympic and Sports Committee in its 30th anniversary. We remain proud of our sporting heritage, of the Olympic traditions and we step into the next stage, aware that we must grow and keep up with social changes. I do not want to talk about violence against children, but rather about the fact that sport is a universal activity and that it must be safe for all children, without any discrimination”.
The event contributes towards achieving the Project’s immediate outcome 1 “Increased awareness on child sexual exploitation and abuse, and the rights of the child in the digital environment”.