Safe to Compete

Safe to Compete is a national initiative between It's a Penalty and The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) to prevent abuse, exploitation and trafficking of young children as they learn to compete in youth sports.

Creating a safe environment in youth sports

Overview Partnership Training Child Sexual Abuse Child Sex Trafficking Best Practices Resources

Overview

Sports should be safe places for children to grow both as people and athletes. Unfortunately, recent high-profile media cases of young athletes being abused while competing have drawn attention to the issue of child protection in sport all over the world. But child sexual abuse in sport IS preventable! Safe to Compete seeks to equip coaches and parents with the tools needed to create a safe environment in sport where boundary violations of any sort are not tolerated, and where child safety and respect are top priorities. The program includes training for parents and coaches, discussion guides for talking about safety, and information on child sex trafficking and other forms of exploitation.

Partnership

The National Center for Missing & Exploited Children is a private, non-profit 501(c)(3) corporation whose mission is to help find missing children, reduce child sexual exploitation, and prevent child victimization. NCMEC works with families, victims, private industry, law enforcement, and the public to assist with preventing child abductions, recovering missing children, and providing services to deter and combat child sexual exploitation.

It’s a Penalty works collaboratively to end human trafficking, exploitation and abuse. We harness the power of sport and run global and local educational and awareness Campaigns during major sporting events highlighting penalties for offenders, the signs to look out for, and how to make a report. Working in partnership with the sports, travel & tourism industry, NGO’s and law enforcers, the campaigns are contextualized in the host cities and countries.

It’s a Penalty has so far run 13 Campaigns including during the Olympic & Paralympic Games, the NFL Super Bowls, Hong Kong Rugby 7’s and the Commonwealth Games, reaching a potential 1.6 billion people.

Alongside the Campaigns It’s a Penalty has three other programmes including CommonProtect, which advocates for legal reform to improve protection from sexual exploitation and abuse for children throughout the Commonwealth countries; Student Ambassador Network, which educates and raises up University students in the U.K to prevent human trafficking and exploitation; and, together with NCMEC, we co-lead Safe to Compete, a programme that trains sports coaches and parents of children in Little Leagues in the USA to prevent abuse.

Training

Coaches Training

Coaches play an important role in fostering a positive youth sports experience where children and youth can thrive and grow as athletes. As a coach you have a responsibility to establish a culture of respect and ensure the safety of athletes. This training focuses on protecting our young athletes from child sexual abuse and exploitation. It is imperative that coaches are equipped not only with the skills to recognize and report abuse after it occurs, but it is even more important that you have the skills to create environments that are safe for everyone. 

This training takes approximately 30 minutes to complete. You will need to register for a free Connect account, after which point you will have access to the no-cost training. A certificate of completion is available upon finishing the course.

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS THE COACHES TRAINING

Parents Training

Parents play a critical role in helping to ensure youth sports organizations are doing everything they can to keep athletes safe from sexual abuse. This abuse IS preventable and there are many things you as a parent can do to protect the young athletes in your life. In this short 15 minute training, you will learn to communicate with children and adults about safe boundaries and abuse prevention, define ways to take action and address problematic or harmful behaviors of others, and describe how to report concerns and respond to disclosures.

Child Sexual Abuse

What it is.

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines CSA as: The involvement of a child in sexual activity that he or she does not fully comprehend, is unable to give informed consent to, or for which the child is not developmentally prepared and cannot give consent, or that violate the laws or social taboos of society.

Concerning adult behaviours

 Singling youth out for special attention or gift giving.
Spending isolated one-on-one time with children such as in private practice sessions where others are not present.
Touching children in ways not related to training for the sport.
Telling youth sexual or inappropriate jokes and stories.
Inappropriate comments on appearances

Signs a child may have been abused

Act out violently against others
Become secretive and reluctant to share information
Act withdrawn or anxious
Are unable to explain injuries or have other physical symptoms (including soreness, pregnancy, STIs)
Avoid being alone with certain people
Exhibit age-inappropriate sexual behaviour or knowledge
Appear to be the subject of an adult’s sexual attention
Are on their own without appropriate adult supervision
Are secretive about their phone/online activity

Discussion Guide

It’s never too early to start the conversation about personal safety with your child.

You can report any instance of sexual exploitation as well as online sexual abuse of a minor to CyberTipline.org or call 1-800-The-Lost (1-800-843-5678).

Discussing personal safety is increasingly important as tweens and teens grow more independent.

Every child athlete deserves a safe and fun sports experience. Use these tips to help your child have one.

Child Sex Trafficking

What it is.

Child sex trafficking is a form of child abuse that occurs when a child under 18 is advertised, solicited or exploited through a commercial sex act.  A commercial sex act is any sex act where something of value – such as money, drugs or a place to stay –  is given to or received by any person for sexual activity. 

While any child can be targeted by a trafficker, research, data and survivor lived experience and expertise have revealed traffickers and buyers often target youth who lack strong support networks, have experienced violence in the past, are experiencing homelessness, or are marginalized by society.  Traffickers are masters of manipulation and prey upon vulnerabilities using psychological pressure and intimidation to control and sexually exploit the child for their benefit.  The issue of child sex trafficking is complex.  Understanding the various forms of child sex trafficking and indicators can create opportunities for prevention, identification and response.  Most importantly NCMEC and IAP embraces and encourages all efforts on this issue to be survivor-informed, child-centered, and trauma-informed. 

Myths and Misconceptions

Parents and other adults need to only be on the lookout for strangers who are hunting for children to exploit.

False: Anyone can be a trafficker, including romantic partners, acquaintances, even family members.

Child sex traffickers usually kidnap their victims or otherwise take them by force.

False: A child does not have to be missing to be involved in trafficking.

Some teenagers get involved in the sex trade because they have loose morals. We shouldn’t worry about them.

False: Children may be coerced or forced into trafficking in order to survive situations such as homelessness.

The only way to reduce child sex trafficking is to arrest all the perpetrators.

False: Reducing demand for sex with children could greatly reduce trafficking.

All children are equally at risk for sex trafficking.

False: Although any child could become a victim of sex trafficking there are risk factors that can put a child at heightened risk for victimization, such as:

Although any child could become a victim of sex trafficking there are risk factors that can put a child at heightened risk for victimization, such as racism, bullying, lack of resources, involvement in child welfare or juvenile just systems, gang activity, sexism, xenophobia.

Signs a child may have been trafficked

Has unexplained absences from school/ practice
Chronically runs away from home
Has a close association with an overly controlling adult (may claim this is a boyfriend/girlfriend) 
Significantly changes their behavior, including their online activity
Has tattoos or branding, such as those symbolizing money, and that the child is reluctant to explain
Stops engaging in activities they previously enjoyed
Has secret cell phones or multiple cell phone numbers
Is in possession of material goods inconsistent with the child’s access to money
Has unexplained access to large amounts of money, prepaid credit cards or hotel keys
Uses language associated with trafficking such as “Trick”, “The Life” or “The Game”.

The Goal - End Sex Trafficking: A guide for Coaches

Download

Coaches are in a unique position to spot changes in their athletes.

Discussing personal safety is increasingly important as tweens and teens grow more independent.

You can report any instance of sexual exploitation as well as online sexual abuse of a minor to CyberTipline.org or call 1-800-The-Lost (1-800-843-5678).

Best Practices

Every sporting organization is unique, and therefore, the code of conduct and policies need to be equally unique. Every Youth Sports Organization (YSO) should have a code of conduct for athletes, coaches, and other adults who interact with children. Parents should feel empowered to ask questions of their YSO to ensure that child safety is a priority.

Questions Parents May Want to Ask YSO's

Does the organization have clear rules for staff and volunteers like a written “code of conduct” that addresses things like one on one interactions between adults and children and online communications with minors? 
Would my child feel comfortable expressing concerns about the coaches, volunteers, or other athletes within the organization?
Are the coaches and other staff or volunteers open to hearing my feedback about my family’s experience with the organization?  
Am I allowed to observe practices or other training sessions? 
Is the organization willing and able to provide me a copy of their background and screening procedures for coaches and volunteers?
Are there clear protocols for reporting and responding to safety concerns?