In October 2019, the child protection organization Terre des hommes launched a unique European program, with the aim of promoting child protection policies in sports environments, in Romania and Greece, in collaboration with Tdh in Hungary. Through this program, Tdh is committed to ensuring that children and young people can benefit from policies to safeguard and protect them from abuse during their training in various sports.
The implementation of the program began with a survey of child protection systems in targeted sports federations, clubs and summer camps through which an attempt was made to record the level of knowledge, behaviors and practices of professionals who come into contact with children in these environments.
In Greece, Tdh Hellas met with representatives from more than 20 children's camps and sports clubs to discuss the challenges facing professionals in their efforts to protect children. Another goal of the meetings was to identify the existing good practices in the field of child protection. In both Romania and Greece, interviews and focus groups were organized with more than 35 experts and young people in each country, who, in Bucharest and other parts of Romania, are active in football and sports clubs, while in Greece , in summer camps and sports activities. As a result of the project in Greece, 20 children's camps developed and consolidated child protection policies, gaining the appropriate accreditation -Quality Label: Safe Space for Children. The main report and the tools developed under the program allow the project results to be multiplied in many other areas of child activity.
In Greece, the head of Terre des hommes, Leda Augousti, said: "We seek to change the mentality and practices that apply to the care of children even in summer camps and sports facilities. Many among those who helped us were professionals working with children as we all share the same goals and the same vision: To provide children with safe spaces to play and learn. It is our duty to provide this."
Tdh invites federations and sports organizations to follow the example of the summer camps and to establish child protection policies to ensure that children's rights are respected in all sports venues.
The program "Keeping Children Safe in Sports (KCSS)" was coordinated by Tdh in Romania, and implemented in collaboration with Tdh in Greece and Hungary. Funded by the European Union "Rights, Citizenship and Equality" Program and developed until February 2022.
