SDP: Safeguarding & Human Rights Guide
SDP: Safeguarding & Human Rights Guide
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Contents
Page
Numbers
Overview 3
Module Objectives 3
Who is the module for? 3
What is the module about? 3
Learning Objectives 3
Module Map 4
Technical Content 5
Background 5
Principles and Definitions 6
Policy Context 9
Phases of Development 15
Preparatory Phase 15
Development Phase 19
Implementation Phase 26
Monitoring & Evaluation Phase 28
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Overview
Module Objectives
This module provides policy and program guidelines linking sport to safeguarding, integrity and
human rights with the goal of contributing towards development and peace. It does so in line
with the basic theories and understandings of the Sport for Development and Peace (SDP)
sector, in which sport is used to meet non-sport goals related to development and peace.
Defines safeguarding, integrity and human rights, and connects them to SDP
Identifies key links between SDP and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
Identifies key steps to implement and evaluate relevant policies and programs
Learning Objectives
On completion of this module, participants will have:
• Explored the ideas and principles of SDP.
• Identified key concepts regarding sports programs and policies aligned with the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), and aimed at supporting safeguarding, integrity and human
rights towards achieving development and peace outcomes.
• Considered the conception, implementation and evaluation of an SDP program or policy
aimed at furthering safeguarding, integrity, and human rights.
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MODULE MAP: SAFEGUARDING, INTEGRITY AND HUMAN RIGHTS
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Technical Content
Background
Using ideas and methods from the SDP sector, many governments and organizations have
designed and implemented policies and programs to meet non-sport goals. The present module
focuses specifically on the goals of safeguarding, integrity, and human rights. To meet these
goals, government and other stakeholders can and should:
► Review the policy context of safeguarding, integrity, and human rights, in general and as it
relates specifically to sport and SDP.
► Raise awareness of the importance and possibilities of connecting sport to safeguarding,
integrity and human rights, especially through policies and programs. This awareness should be
aimed at government officials, civil society organizations, and the public.
► Mobilize support of various stakeholders, including, for example, mainstream civil society
organizations, youth groups, sports federations, development organizations and others.
► Promote linkages and coordination with other national programs, particularly in the areas of
youth employment, inclusion, and values.
► Create or adapt a program theory that outlines the process by which sport will be used to
support safeguarding, integrity, and human rights, and that aligns with the Sustainable
Development Goals and current standards.
► Set achievable targets to use sport as a tool to support safeguarding, integrity and human
rights, also in ways that align with the Sustainable Development Goals and that are consistent
with international standards.
► Determine the necessary budgets and advocate for funding for sport policies and programs
that can support safeguarding, integrity, and human rights.
► Monitor and evaluate the extent to which supporting safeguarding, integrity and human
rights through sport is successful, and adjust these approaches where they are not.
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Principles and Definitions
a. Safeguarding refers to the commitment, and actions taken, to promote the welfare of
participants – particularly children – and to protect them from harm.
The safeguarding of children in sport is rooted in the Convention on the Rights of the Child,
adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1989. Article 19 of the Convention is
specifically relevant and reads.
According to Article 19, everyone has a responsibility to safeguard all children from all forms of
damage, abuse, neglect, and exploitation.
b. Integrity refers to prioritizing and maintaining honest, fair, safe, and healthy
environments in sport, including both participatory and competitive-based sport.
In general, some main threats to sports integrity are doping and the use of performance
enhancing drugs, corruption and match fixing, and the abuse of athletes, particularly youth.
Safeguarding (as discussed above) can therefore be considered a component of integrity in
sports.
c. Human Rights are the rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex,
nationality, ethnicity, language, religion or any other status. 2
The cornerstone of human rights is the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, adopted in 1948
and entailed a statement of principles. It took 18 years to integrate two binding international
treaties (International Covenant on Economic and Social and Cultural Rights and the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights) to be adopted in 1966, and, together with
the Declaration became the International Bill of Human Rights. Human rights are further
supported and enacted through international laws that provide the obligations for
governments, that adopted the language and principles in national legislation and their
Constitutions, to promote and protect human rights.
1
National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. https://learning.nspcc.org.uk/safeguarding-child-
protection
2
https://www.un.org/en/global-issues/human-rights
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The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child is specifically relevant to children and the right to
sport and physical activity.
- According to Article 31, every child has the right to play and to engage in leisure activities,
including sport and physical activity.
d. Equality and Equity are terms used to express the notion of ‘equal’ and ‘fair’ access to
resources between different entities such as in the case of gender. Gender equality refers to
the equal and fair distribution of resources (from access to facilities, participation, or
remuneration) at the ‘input level’, whereas ‘equity’ focuses at the ‘output level’. Although the
same resources are allocated, results may be different as women face more barriers and the
outputs and outcomes are not the same. For instance, men and women may have the same
opportunities, but women cannot take full advantage of them and remain at a disadvantage.
2. Relevance and Connections to Sport for Development and Peace (SDP)
Safeguarding, integrity and human rights all connect to development and peace, broadly
defined. On the one hand, for fair, equitable and sustainable development to occur, or peaceful
co-existence to be achieved, individuals and communities must feel safe and protected, and
know that their rights are recognized and will be defended. Practices or cultures of corruption
or abuse run directly counter to fair, equitable and sustainable development. In turn, investing
in, and working to realize the safeguarding of children, the integrity of cultural practices and the
realization of rights, all serve to catalyze development and peace.
KEY POINT: Therefore, and particularly in line with Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace,
Justice, and Strong Institutions), committing to and investing in safeguarding, integrity and
human rights are ways to work towards achieving development and peace outcomes.
Sport can contribute to development and peace by promoting safeguarding, integrity, and
human rights, and ensuring their realization. This, in turn, is likely to have cascading positive
implications and effects. In fact, safeguarding, integrity and human rights all connect to key SDP
themes and goals of empowerment, social inclusion, community building and social capital that
are rooted in pro-social values.
Empowerment as defined in the Module on Values, Social Inclusion and Role Modelling, refers
to the process of claiming rights and control over one’s life, through skills, confidence, and
agency. Empowerment through sport (for girls, young women, indigenous peoples, and persons
with disabilities) and realizing human rights – such as the right to participate in sport or live free
from abuse – is central to SDP.
According to the World Bank, social inclusion means improving the terms on which individuals
and groups take part in society, particularly those disadvantaged based on identity. Positive
sporting opportunities can provide participants with a feeling of belonging, regardless of their
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identity or social standing. Safeguarding and human rights are both important for social
inclusion, as they help people to feel rooted and connected, and to live free of fear and
desperation. According to the UNHCR Sport for Protection Toolkit, social inclusion, social
cohesion, and psychosocial well-being can all be achieved through safeguarding practices (see
Figure 1).
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KEY POINT: Safeguarding, integrity and human rights can all contribute to peace and
development by creating and maintaining fair, equitable and sustainable experiences and
cultures, in and through sport and SDP.
Policy Context
Safeguarding, integrity and human rights are directly connected to the Sustainable
Development Goals, the UN’s development agenda for 2030.
According to the UN’s High Commission for Human Rights, “Human rights are essential to
achieving sustainable development that leaves no one behind and are central to all its three
dimensions – social, environmental, and economic.”
Similarly, UNICEF recognizes the relationship between safeguarding children and the SDGs,
stating that the SDG’s “call to leave no one behind puts the world’s most vulnerable and
marginalized people – including children – at the top of the agenda.”
The relationship between SDP and the SDGs is also articulated in the Kazan Action Plan (KAP),
which resulted from the Sixth International Conference of Ministers and Senior Officials
Responsible for Physical Education and Sport (MINEPS VI) in 2017.
The KAP:
recognized the SDGs as the overarching policy consensus regarding international
development.
stated that sport and physical education can make a strong contribution to meeting the
SDGs and contributing to sustainable development, and
connected sport to priorities of gender empowerment, partnership development and
youth engagement.
According to the Commonwealth Secretariat, the Kazan Action Plan (and its associated MINEPS
Sport Policy Follow-up Framework) connects sport and SDP to meeting SDG targets. SDG targets
most relevant to the content of this module are from SDG 5 (Reduce gender inequality) and
SDG 10 (Reduce inequalities between and in countries):
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Target MINEPS Sport result areas
5.1 End all forms of I.5 Enforce gender Sport for gender equality and
discrimination against equality/empower girls empowerment of all women and
all women and girls and women. girls.
everywhere. II.8 Build effective, Inclusive access to sport for all.
accountable and inclusive Sport for quality education and
institutions at all levels. lifelong learning for all.
5.5 Ensure women’s full II.6 Advance gender Sport for economic growth and
and effective equality and empower all productive employment.
participation and equal women and girls. Building capacity, strengthening
opportunities for II.5 Provide economic governance and protecting the
leadership at all levels growth and full and integrity of sport.
of decision-making in productive employment
political, economic and and work for all.
public life.
5.2 Eliminate all forms III.2 Protect children, Sport for gender equality and empowerment
of violence against all youth and other of all women and girls.
women and girls in the vulnerable groups. Sport for health and well-being of all.
public and private
spheres, including
trafficking and sexual
and other types of
exploitation.
5.3 Eliminate all harmful
practices, such as child,
early and forced
marriage and female
genital mutilation.
10.2 By 2030, empower II. Maximizing the contributions of Inclusive access to sport for all.
and promote the social, sport to sustainable development Sport for peaceful, inclusive and
economic and political and peace. equitable societies.
inclusion of all, II.4 Build peaceful, inclusive and Physical education for boys and girls
irrespective of age, sex, equitable societies. Sport for quality education and
disability, race, ethnicity, lifelong learning for all.
origin, religion or Sport for gender equality and
economic or other empowerment of all women and girls.
status. Building capacity, strengthening
governance and protecting the
integrity of sport.
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10.7 Facilitate orderly, safe, III. Protecting the integrity of Sport for peaceful,
regular and responsible sport. inclusive and equitable
migration and mobility of III.1 Safeguard athletes, societies.
people, including through spectators, workers and other
the implementation of groups involved.
planned and well-managed
migration policies.
Some issues related to these targets and may be considered relate to ‘child labour’ and possible
unhealthy and abusive practices where young children are exposed to excessive training
regimes. Another issue that indirectly protects children and youth from harm was the creation
of safe spaces and trusting relationships that developed between participants and coaches or
youth leaders that may lead to exposure of child-right transgressions, including forced child
marriages that increased during COVID-19 restrictions. 3 The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted
sport participation and restricted access to physical activity in addition to bringing safeguarding
issues to the fore as discussed in publications by the Commonwealth Secretariat.4
3
Burnett, C. (2021). Gender, Participation and Leadership in Sport in Southern Africa: The 2021 Study.
Gaborone: African Union Sports Council Region 5 & The Norwegian Olympic and Paralympic Committee
and Confederation of Sports.
4
Commonwealth Secretariat publications: https://thecommonwealth.org/implications-covid-19-
community-sport-and-sport-development and Policy Analysis Tool for Community Sport and Sport for
Development in response to COVID-19, https://www.thecommonwealth.io/wp-
content/uploads/2021/02/CommonwealthMoves_COVID-19-CommunitySportPolicyAnalysisToolkit.pdf
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Policy and Practical Guidelines
This section offers seven guidelines for developing policies and programs to support
safeguarding, integrity, and human rights in and through sport.
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Exposure of human right transgressions is also linked to whistleblowing and necessitate
mechanisms to protect victims and whistleblowers in all sectors. Legal entities and the media
(investigative journalism) may have a key role to play in this regard.
4. Coherence
To ensure policy coherence, the creation process should take account of other relevant policies,
programs and processes. This means that any sport-focused program or policy should take into
consideration current policies, legislation and programs related to safeguarding, integrity, and
human rights. For example, sport programs aimed at promoting and supporting safeguarding
should investigate, and where appropriate align with, policy frameworks for child protection
currently in place, or connect their work to the Universal Declaration on the Rights of the Child.
5. Flexibility
Policies and programs designed to use sport to support safeguarding, integrity and human
rights need to be responsive to changing circumstances and include mechanisms for on-going
monitoring and periodic review. Being open to new ideas and remaining responsive to changing
circumstances is critical for success.
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6. Language and Approach
Policy and programming guidelines should take care to use inclusive language that emphasizes
strengths more than weaknesses or deficiencies. Research has found that some SDP training
manuals focus too often on deficiencies, risks and individual limitations through the language
used within their manuals and by their practitioners. Language based on improvement and
empowerment is likely to be more effective.
7. Program Theorizing
To be both successful and sustainable, programs and policies must be based on a clear and
well-defined program theory, which outlines the processes and/or mechanisms by which sport
can contribute to safeguarding, integrity and human rights.
Practitioners and government representatives in the UK developed the following ToC to guide
the implementation and evaluation of such interventions showing ‘what might work’ within
sport and criminal justice contexts. The goal focuses on desistance from crime through
participation in sport and follows a pathway of initial engagement in sport, the development of
positive relationships that lead to positive individual development (human capital) (see Figure
2).
5
National Alliance of Sport for the Desistance of Crime. Available: allianceofsport.org
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Source: Morgan, H., Parker, A., Meek, R., & Cryer, J. (2020). Participation in sport as a
mechanism to transform the lives of young people within the criminal justice system: an
academic exploration of a theory of change. Sport, Education and Society, 25(8), 918. Doi:
10.1080/13573322.2019.1674274
The ToC supports the proposal that sport-based interventions work when young people can form a
positive self-identity and experience enhanced self-esteem (psychological capital) linked to employment
and educational opportunities as alternative pathways to crime (human capital).
Phases of Development
The development and implementation of SDP policies and programs designed to support
safeguarding, integrity and human rights should proceed through the following four phases:
1. A preparatory phase, during which key agencies and organizations address the
institutional structures for planning and engaging with sports organizations, relevant
ministries, service providers, international organizations, and other stakeholders. This
includes consideration of the international policy context and gathering of relevant data
for evidence-based planning.
2. A development phase, during which key agencies and organizations elaborate a policy
or program within a specific country context, intensify the consultation process, and
draft the policy or program.
3. An implementation phase, during which relevant agencies implement the policy or
program.
4. A monitoring & evaluation phase, which overlaps with the implementation phase and
involves a process of adjustment of policy or programs objectives and activities in
consideration of new data or shifting circumstances, followed by assessment and review
to lay the foundation for a successor policy or program.
1. Preparatory Phase
The goal in the Preparatory Phase is to establish the ownership, leadership and support
necessary to develop and implement a successful policy or program. Inputs from multiple
stakeholders should be sought. This is also the phase during which to situate and connect the
policy or program to the broader policy context. The Preparatory Phase should proceed through
several steps:
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Designating leadership and coordination – Depending on the policy or program to be
developed, establishing leadership should involve stakeholders from sports
organizations, government agencies, NGOs and funders at all levels of engagement.
Depending on the scope of the policy, sub regional coordinating committees can also be
put in place for support. A coordination structure is required to provide strategic
leadership, dissemination and the implementation of the policy, ensuring effective
communication among stakeholders (including strategic and implementing agencies).
Leaders and coordinators should stay in close contact with all stakeholders, making
sure that underrepresented groups are heard, both formally and informally, to ensure
the input of all of those impacted by the policy or program, to raise awareness, ensure a
well-designed and targeted approach for achieving set goals and objectives.
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The process of starting the toolkit began with identifying four objectives:
1. To promote accountability and responsibility for keeping children safe from harm when
involved in any football activity
2. To self-assess and inform the development of their safeguarding policies, plans and
programs, including for human resource and training needs
3. To assist coordinators and technical staff with risk assessments and the development of
safeguarding plans and programs
4. To support practitioners, such as coaches, trainers, medical personnel, staff and volunteers,
who provide services, training and programs to children to apply good practice for effective
action
These objectives were in turn translated into principles, and then eventually into five steps
towards safeguarding children in football:
1. Examine how children are involved and what safeguards already exist
2. Set out and define a safeguarding policy
3. Develop procedures and guidelines to implement the policy
4. Commit to communication and education of the policy
5. Decide how to monitor, evaluate and review the policy
Link: FIFA Guardians. (2019). Child Safeguarding Toolkit for Member Associations. FIFA.
Retrieved from https://girlsinthelead.org/wp-content/uploads/toolkit-fifa-guardians.pdf
Program: Advancing Human Rights in Sports in Rwanda – Centre for Sport and Human Rights
Location: Rwanda
Background: Since the 1994 genocide violence in Rwanda, which resulted in the deaths of over
800,000 people, sport has been viewed as a potential source of solidarity and catalyst for
national healing. Women's soccer, for example, was initially introduced to the country as a
means of assisting trauma survivors.
With 54 percent of Rwanda's population under the age of 19, youth development through sport
is particularly important. Now, Rwanda holds the African record for the number of FIFA-
certified female football players. However, challenges remain regarding human rights in and
through sport, particularly how to protect the rights of women and children at all levels.
Rwanda is thus a notable example of how sport and human rights may be more closely
integrated, and a model that might be used in other countries.
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Implementation: The Commonwealth Games Federation convened its General Assembly in
Kigali in September 2019 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. As
an example of the preparatory phase, the Centre for Sport and Human Rights (CSHR) organized
a workshop with 16 National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) from throughout the
Commonwealth as part of this work in Rwanda. The event provided an opportunity for
representatives from the National Human Rights Institutions, who are mandated to
independently promote and protect human rights in their countries, to build relationships with
their counterparts from the National Commonwealth Games Associations. They worked
together to advance dialogue on how human rights can be protected in and through sport at
the national level.
The CEO of the CSHR and the Rwandan Minister of Sport and Culture also agreed that the
Centre would begin working with the Rwandan National Olympic Committee and the Rwandan
National Commission of Human Rights to engage Rwanda's sports federations on human rights
issues related to their activities.
As a result, CSHR has moved towards a scaleable and transferable model for advancing a
human rights agenda, by bringing together NHRIs and sports organizations from across the
Commonwealth. CSHR is bringing insights from Rwanda about gender and youth empowerment
to other projects throughout the world.
Link: Centre for Sport and Human Rights. (2022). Advancing Human Rights in Sport in Rwanda.
Retrieved from Centre for Sport and Human Rights: https://sporthumanrights.org/what-we-
do/case-studies/advancing-human-rights-in-sport-in-rwanda/
Determining a funding strategy for the whole life cycle of the policy or program is
fundamental, so this phase should draw particular attention to it. Responsibility for the
budget may vary, from government ministries to international donors. It is important to
identify the best stakeholders to support in this area.
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Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) states that: “Children
have the right to relax and play, and to join in a wide range of cultural, artistic and other
recreational activities”.
Source: Institute for Human Rights and Business. (2018). Rights Through Sport: Mapping “Sport
For Development And Peace”. Institute for Human Rights and Business. Retrieved from
https://www.ihrb.org/uploads/reports/Rights_Through_Sport_-
_Mapping_SDP%2C_IHRB_April_2018.pdf
2. Development Phase
The development phase, which may be overseen by the coordinating mechanism, should
include the following steps:
Determining Priorities – Safeguarding, integrity and human rights all present a range of
possible priorities for policy makers and programmers. These can range from ensuring
that sport is free, and individuals are protected from abuse, to ensuring that participants
have an experience that is safe and inclusive. It is therefore necessary to prioritize goals
and identify gaps where action will be necessary to advance the policy development or
program implementation. This can be done through consultations with both
governmental and non-governmental stakeholders, in the form of meetings or
workshops at national and local levels or opportunities for online or written submission
of views, among others.
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Example from the Development Phase
Program: PlayOnside
Location: Thailand
Background: PlayOnside is a non-governmental organization located in Mae Sot on the Thai-
Burma border. It is also registered as a non-profit organization in Spain and Norway. PlayOnside
primarily utilizes football as a means of educating and empowering Myanmar migrants and
refugees in Thailand. For its work with migrant communities, PlayOnside was nominated for the
FIFA Diversity Award in 2019. PlayOnside’s key objectives are social inclusion, gender equality,
and empowerment.
Implementation: Around 1000 migrant children and young people from 27 different migrant
schools get together at the end of each weekend to play, study, and compete while making new
friends and growing their networks.
Notably for the Development Phase, PlayOnside developed an ethical code for its activities
which both determines its priorities and identifies barriers. The components of the ethical code
are:
- Equal opportunity: PlayOnside's tagline is “For Equal Opportunity.” All children, regardless of
their history, gender, ethnic group, religion, legal status, or social level, have the same right to
participate, play, and learn.
- Child-centered activities: PlayOnside’s main objective is the well-being of the child. Their
interests always come first, and PlayOnside will always prioritize inclusion and participation
over competition.
- Professional and trustworthy: Every member of the PlayOnside team is expected to be a
professional and reliable partner. All projects will be carried out to the best of their ability and
to the greatest possible quality.
- Partnership and sharing: PlayOnside will make its lesson ideas, curricula, and handbooks
accessible for free download to all groups.
- Fairness and equality: Regardless of education, position, nationality, or history, all PlayOnside
employees will be paid the same. Salaries are solely determined by the employee's level of
experience.
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- Local decision-making: All major strategic choices are made on the ground, not in the
boardroom or by financial partners. PlayOnside will remain a grassroots group for the
foreseeable future.
- Transparency and Accountability: PlayOnside believes in transparency and accountability. All
of its financial records are accessible for download at any time. Every donation is monitored
and accounted for.
Links: https://www.playonside.org/about
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Olympic Committee
(IOC) and Terre des hommes organization (Tdh). (2020). Sport for Protection Toolkit:
Programming with Young People in Forced Displacement Settings.
https://www.tdh.ch/sites/default/files/s4p_toolkit_english_low_final.pdf
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Figure 3. Theory of Change for Sport for Protection and Human Rights
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Olympic
Committee (IOC) and Terre des hommes organization (Tdh). (2020). Sport for Protection Toolkit:
Programming with Young People in Forced Displacement Settings.
https://www.tdh.ch/sites/default/files/s4p_toolkit_english_low_final.pdf
• Establishing Indicators – Indicators are necessary for the eventual monitoring &
evaluation of the policy or program. The purpose of indicators is to provide relevant
information that is clear and can be measured and objectively verified. It is also
important to consider who is to be responsible for gathering indicators. See Module on
Monitoring & Evaluation for the criteria for developing indicators.
In the case of sport for safeguarding, integrity and human rights, relevant indicators might
include:
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The inclusion of young people in the development of safeguarding programs and
activities.
The provision of safe spaces and environments for all participants in sport, and
particularly girls and women or ethnic minorities, in ways that serve to enhance
their education, communication, negotiation skills and leadership toward their
empowerment.
The availability of SDP activities and components through which participants can
realize their right to participate in physical activity and sport.
Policies and reporting mechanisms in place through which to report abuse or
corruption.
23
Source: United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), International Olympic
Committee (IOC) and Terre des hommes organization (Tdh). (2020). Sport for Protection Toolkit:
Programming with Young People in Forced Displacement Settings.
https://www.tdh.ch/sites/default/files/s4p_toolkit_english_low_final.pdf
- Reinforce community child protection mechanisms and improve access by young people,
particularly girls, to health-care services, quality education and sports activities.
- Promote cooperation between schools, universities, public institutions, and NGOs working for
children’s right
- Provide creative insights and the human resources training needed in South Sudan
- Strengthen personal development and talent through sport.
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Activities:
- Carried out awareness-raising campaigns about girls’ education, children’s rights and
measures to prevent diseases like COVID-19
- Organised sporting activities and held competitions, such as football and volleyball
tournaments and marathons, between schools and villages
- Strengthened the inclusion of minorities, in particular vulnerable children with disabilities, and
supported children affected by the pandemic.
Link: Sport en Commun. (2022). Protecting children and advancing their rights through sport.
Retrieved from Sport en Commun: https://sportencommun.org/en/projects/protecting-
children-and-advancing-their-rights-through-sport/
Preparing a draft action plan – A core group should be identified to lead the drafting of
the policy or program. The plan should clearly set out the overall goals and objectives
and identify, based on the preparatory phase, priority areas and sectors. It should also
set strategies for achieving objectives, including specific activities to be undertaken and
plans for monitoring and evaluation within a set timeframe.
The Safeguarding Children in Sport Working Group worked with SDP organizations to
examine how sports activities could be made safer. Drawing on international frameworks,
the group developed a set of standards to help SDP stakeholders ensure a safe sporting space
for children at all levels of participation, and to serve as a benchmark for organizations. The
eleven standards are:
25
Source: Twyford, L. (2014). Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport for
Development and Peace Programmes. In O. Dudfield (Ed.), Strengthening Sport for
Development and Peace: National Policies and Strategies (pp. 30-39). London:
Commonwealth Secretariat.
Finalize Policy or Program After consultations and stakeholders’ participation, the policy
or program can be finalized, in accordance with the broader policy context and SDP
principles.
3. Implementation Phase
The implementation phase, during which the policy or program is put into use, should include
the following steps:
• Profile and public awareness – The implementation phase should include activities to
raise awareness about the program or policy. These can include the sharing of positive
outcomes, profiles of participants, or examples of behavior change achieved through
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the program or policy. In this way, the relevance of the program or policy will be
promoted and more people will understand its value.
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The four pillars of M & E which include planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL) will
be discussed in the Monitoring and Evaluation Module.6
6
See Commonwealth Secretariat Sport & SDG Indicator Toolkit V4.0 Measuring the contribution of sport, physical
education and physical activity to the Sustainable Development Goals. https://production-new-commonwealth-
files.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/migrated/inline/SDGs%20Toolkit%20version%204.0_0.pdf
29
References and Further Reading
Brackenridge, Rhind, D., & Palmer-Felgate, S. (2015). Locating and mitigating risks to children
associated with major sporting events. Journal of Policy Research in Tourism, Leisure and
Events, 7(3), 237–250. Doi: 10.1080/19407963.2014.911516
Brackenridge, C. H., & Rhind, D. (2014). Child protection in sport: reflections on thirty years of
science and activism. Social Sciences, 3(3), 326-340. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-
0760/3/3/326
Centre for Sport and Human Rights. (2022). Advancing Human Rights in Sport in Rwanda.
Retrieved from Centre for Sport and Human Rights: https://sporthumanrights.org/what-
we-do/case-studies/advancing-human-rights-in-sport-in-rwanda/
Darnell, S. C., & Dao, M. (2017). Considering sport for development and peace through the
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