On 17 February 2021, the Council of Europe project Combating violence against children in the Republic of Moldova organised an online meeting on Prevention and reaction to child sexual abuse in sport. Representatives of the Ministry of Education, Culture and Research, municipal and district Departments of Education, Youth and Sport, University of Physical Education and Sport, National Olympic and Sport Committee and various Sport Federations / Unions in the Republic of Moldova and NGOs took part at the online event.

The aim of the meeting was to raise awareness among all relevant stakeholders and representatives of the sport area on international and Council of Europe standards related to child sexual abuse prevention and identification with specific focus on sport area, as well as national legal context for reporting of such cases.

”Child sexual abuse is a serious crime, which has negative life-long consequences for child victims, that can follow them well into adulthood. It may happen anywhere, including in sport, which is usually characterised by imbalanced power relations between coaches and children and authoritarian leadership between peers”, stressed Giulia Re, the Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Chisinau.

"The national legal framework should be revised in order to prevent child sexual abuse in sport. Sport Federations should be assisted in developing internal regulations for combating child sexual abuse in sport. Sport institutions/organisations, but prevent and combat them should not hide behind such cases”, mentioned Sergiu Cornețchi, Executive Director of the National Olympic and Sports Committee of the Republic of Moldova.

The event contributes towards achieving the Project’s immediate outcome 4 “Improved skills and know-how of professionals to respond to violence against children and promote child-friendly practices”.