Start to talk

What is starttotalk.org?

“Start to talk” is a Council of Europe call for action to public authorities and the sport movement to stop child sexual abuse. By joining this call, governments, sports clubs, associations and federations, as well as athletes and coaches, pledge to take concrete measures to prevent and respond to abuse.

“Start to talk” is about adults breaking the silence and lending children a voice.

Governments are expected to improve their laws and policies.

The Council of Europe Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse aims at preventing abuse, protecting children and fighting impunity. It contains very detailed measures that, if implemented, can considerably reduce the number of victims.

The convention is currently in force in 42 states across Europe and applies in the field of sport too.

Sport organisations should adopt strategies and measures to keep children safe:

promoting a culture of respect and of zero-tolerance towards violence;
adopting policies to safeguard children;
designating a person for child protection whom everyone knows how to contact;
screening professionals working in contact with children;
training coaches to prevent, detect and report abuse;
developing codes of conduct for adults and children;
raising awareness on risks and how to minimise them;
aiming for high-quality standards for infrastructures.

What are the specific risk factors in sport?

There is a higher tolerance level for physical violence and injuries.
Authoritarian leadership can lead to unequal power relationships between coaches and athletes.
Scandal avoidance means that incidents are silenced.
Despite some progress, sport still has a male-dominated gender ratio.
Physical contact is often required.
It has reward structures.
Inappropriate sexual behaviour is often tolerated, discrimination and gender inequality accepted.
High potential risk situations: changing rooms, showers, carpooling, overnight stays.

Why is it hard for children to talk about abuse?

There are many reasons why child victims of abuse do not speak up. About one third of abused children never tell anyone because they:

are afraid of not being believed or of consequences (such as reprisals or possible impact on family, their sport career, their reputation);
feel shame and guilt;
are confused: some children believe they are in a true “relationship”;
do not understand: some children are not able to recognise the abuse (very young children, children with disabilities);
do not know whom to tell;
are athletes, and are therefore supposed to be strong (vulnerability is considered a weakness).