It can take a long time for victims of child sexual abuse to disclose what happened to them, if at all. Research shows that one in three victims will never tell anyone. It also shows that sexual violence affects around 1 in 5 children in Europe and that about 80% of abusers are within the child’s circle of trust. The impact of sexual abuse can be devastating and last a lifetime. The good news is that sexual abuse can be prevented.

To stop sexual abuse in sport, we must understand the factors that increase children’s vulnerability. Sexual violence thrives when there is tolerance for discrimination, physical violence and inappropriate sexual behavior. Imbalanced power relations, authoritarian leadership and rewards structures create relationships based on fear and dependence and hence vulnerability to the abuse of power. The loss of “natural barriers” because of the physical contact required and the sharing of showers, changing rooms and confined spaces with adults also expose children to several forms of sexual violence. And of course, there is the scandal avoidance by organisations and individuals who prefer to hide the abuse, thus sacrifying the victim and giving the abuser a licence to harm.

It is just as important to understand the reasons why children cannot talk. Fear, shame and guilt are paralysing feelings. Very young children may not recognise the abuse, while teenagers may believe they are in a “relationship”. Love for the sport they practise, peer pressure, taboos around sexuality and admiration for their coach, trap children in a very painful silence. I nothing is done about it, abusers can keep preying on children for years, sometimes resulting in hundreds of victims…

Sport is great for children. It brings joy and develops healthy habits. It boosts self-esteem and creates a sense of belonging. Through sport, children abide by key values and learn important life skills. We must make sure that this is the case for ALL children.

The Council of Europe Convention on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse contains the measures that must be taken to prevent abuse, protect the victims and put an end to the perpetrators’ impunity. These are obligations that currently bind 42 countries in Europe. The Start to Talk initiative just launched by EPAS, promotes the implementation of this Convention in the sport’s context.

Since 2015, the date of 18 November is commemorated as the European Day on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse. The 2018 edition of this day will focus on the specific theme of "the protection of children against sexual abuse in sport”. All types of activities around this theme are welcome in order to encourage interactions, exchanges, in particular, between children and parents, educators, sports clubs, associations and federations, athletes and coaches, and other professionals. We invite you to join us in the fight against sexual exploitation and abuse in sport and we offer our support if you wish to get involved (please see the supporting packages below). Should you already have activities planned in relation to the topic in 2018, please share them with us.

“Start to Talk” is a Council of Europe call for action to public authorities, the sport movement and other stakeholders to take the necessary prevention and protection measures 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.

Start to Talk was launched by the Council of Europe as a follow-up to the two successful Pro Safe Sport projects (in 2014 and 2017) co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe, and run by the Council of Europe Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS).

Link to the Pro Safe Sport project website

1. to draw attention to the prevalence and impact of child sexual abuse in sport;
2. to recall the international standards that must be applied to prevent abuse, protect children and fight impunity;
3. to provide guidance on how to concretely implement those standards through:
   1. the strengthening of legislations, policies and services
   2. capacity building, awareness raising and training
   3. exchanges of good practices from public authorities and the sport movement;
4. to mobilise public authorities, the sport movement and the media triggering action and partnerships at international, national and local levels.

To stop child abuse in sport, the Council of Europe, through its children’s rights programme and its Enlarged Partial Agreement on Sport (EPAS), offers a platform for co-operation between public authorities, the sport movement, experts, child-protection agencies, the European Union and other international organisations. It also helps to:

• raise awareness to empower parents and children as well as the public at large through targeted resources (TV spots, videos, communication material etc.);
• improve legislation and policies;
• set up strategies and codes of conduct in sport to safeguard children;
• train sport professionals (coaches, managers and policy makers);
• disseminate knowledge and expertise by providing access to recent information and findings and to a network of experts.

The materials developed by the Council of Europe present three key advantages:

1. They take into account the most advanced standards and recent research;
2. They have been developed by leading European experts in co-operation with governments and the sport movement;
3. They are designed to be easily adapted to the national context. In addition to translating the texts into the national language/s, partners are encouraged to add country-relevant information such as legislation, existing policies and services, helplines and websites. They can also add their logos to the material.

EPAS invites the Council of Europe member states to join this effort and undertake three kinds of actions:

Action 1: Launch a Start To Talk campaign at national level

Action 2: Develop or improve safeguarding and protection frameworks

Action 3: Promote training of key stakeholders

This action (A1) consists of the following support packages:

Human resources/advice/direct support

• Advice on process, format, stakeholders and key milestones
• Expertise to identify gaps, actions needed, and key campaign messages
• Identifying facilitators and/or trainers
• Identifying leading experts for presentations at events

Tools

• Start to Talk video clip
• Start to Talk action page
• Printed communication (postcard, brochure, etc)
• Start to Talk logo

Events

• Advice on process, format, stakeholders and key milestones
• European Day on the protection of children against sexual exploitation and sexual abuse (18 November)

To express your interest in this particular action please fill in the on-line form.

This action (A2) consists of the following support packages:

Human resources/advice/direct support

• Advice on process, format, stakeholders and key milestones
• Expertise to identify gaps, actions needed, and key campaign messages
• Identifying facilitators and/or trainers
• Identifying leading experts for presentations at events

Tools

• Start to Talk video clip
• Printed communication (postcard, brochure, etc)
• Self-assessment tool to identify potential gaps and measures to take
• Start to Talk logo

Information

• Existing standards, policies, programmes and procedures
• Examples of good practice on safe sport
• Presentations by experts on safe sport matters

To express your interest in this particular action, please fill in the on-line form.

This action (A3) consists of the following support packages:

Human resources/advice/direct support

• Advice on process, format, stakeholders and key milestones
• Expertise to identify gaps, actions needed, and key campaign messages
• Identifying facilitators and/or trainers
• Identifying leading experts for presentations at events

Tools

• Start to Talk video clip
• Start to Talk action page
• Printed communication (postcard, brochure, etc)
• Training Kit
• Self-assessment tool to identify potential gaps and measures to take
• Start to Talk logo
• Template for a workshop/training session on safe sport

Information

• Existing standards, policies, programmes and procedures
• Examples of good practice on safe sport
• Presentations by experts on safe sport matters

To express your interest in this particular action, please fill in the on-line form.