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Purpose: This study aimed to explore links between child maltreatment (CM) and experiences of interpersonal violence (IV) in sport among adolescent sport participants. To our knowledge, no studies have yet considered this association. This is surprising given that the literature outside of sport clearly shows that CM is related to revictimization in adolescence and adulthood. Methods: The sample consists of 983 adolescents aged 14 to 18 years old participating in an organized sport. They completed a self-report survey in class at six Canadian schools assessing CM and IV in sport. Logistic regressions were performed to examine the associations between CM and IV in sport. Results: Child physical abuse, emotional abuse, and exposure to domestic violence were significantly associated with psychological violence and neglect in sport. Exposure to domestic violence was the only form of CM significantly associated with physical violence in sport. Child sexual abuse and neglect were significantly associated with sexual violence in sport, while child emotional abuse and exposure to domestic violence were significantly associated with peer violence in sport. Physical abuse was the only form of CM significantly associated with coach violence. Child physical abuse, emotional abuse, neglect, and exposure to domestic violence were positively associated with violence from parents in sport. Conclusions: Considering the associations between CM and IV in sport, further investigations are necessary on how to prevent revictimization. It also highlights the importance of athlete-centered and trauma-informed practices in sport. Implications and Contribution: This study was the first, to our knowledge, to show the relationship between CM and the experience of IV in organized sport, as reported by 983 Canadian adolescents. Our findings reveal different associations depending on the type of IV (physical, sexual, psychological, or neglect) and the perpetrators (peers, coaches, or parents).

Childhood sport participation is associated with physical, social, and mental health benefits, which are more likely to be realized if the sport environment is safe. However, our understanding of children’s experience of psychological, physical, and sexual violence in community sport in Australia is limited. The aims of this study were to provide preliminary evidence on the extent of experiences of violence during childhood participation in Australian community sport and to identify common perpetrators of and risk factors for violence. The Violence Towards Athletes Questionnaire (VTAQ) was administered online to a convenience sample of Australian adults (>18 years), retrospectively reporting experiences of violence during childhood community sport. Frequencies of experience of violence were calculated and Chi-square tests were conducted to determine differences between genders. In total, there were 886 respondents included in the analysis. Most survey respondents were women (63%) and about a third were men (35%). About 82% of respondents experienced violence in sport as a child. Psychological violence was most prevalent (76%), followed by physical (66%) and sexual (38%) violence. Peers perpetrated the highest rates of psychological violence (69%), and the rates of physical and psychological violence by coaches (both >50%) were also high. Age, sexual orientation, disability, and hours of weekly sport participation as a child were all associated with childhood experience of violence in sport. The rates of interpersonal violence against children in sport were high. This novel data on perpetrators of the violence and the risk factors for experiencing violence provides further context to inform safeguarding strategies in sport. A national prevalence study is recommended to advance our understanding of the childhood experiences of violence in Australian sport.

Little is known about the prevalence of gender-based violence (GBV) in sport in European Union (EU) Member States (MS). The research question underpinning this study was therefore: What is the nature and extent of gender-based violence in sport in the EU? The study involved a scoping exercise that mapped existing research on the incidence and/or prevalence of any/all form(s) of GBV in sport. This was complemented by interviews with key stakeholders within each EU MS. Forty-one studies were identified across 17 countries. Of these, none investigated the whole range of behaviours that constitute GBV, so the prevalence of GBV in sport in EU MS is unknown. The most commonly studied form of GBV was sexual harassment, which had a reported prevalence rate of between 1% and 64% due to different methodologies and definitions. This variation is indicative of the challenges of studying GBV, which are discussed in this paper. Without clear prevalence rates for of (all forms of) GBV, prevention efforts cannot be efficiently targeted and the effectiveness of interventions cannot be assessed. Among others, we recommend the European Commission contract regular research in sport that uses a standardised definition of GBV and a common methodological approach.

Objective: To analyze the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2020 athletes' understanding and perceptions of harassment and abuse in sport and their knowledge of reporting mechanisms. Design: A cohort study. Setting: The Winter YOG2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland. Participants: Accredited athletes at the YOG2020. Intervention: An athlete safeguarding educational program was delivered at the YOG2020. Participating athletes were encouraged to answer a survey embedded in the safeguarding educational materials during the YOG. Main Outcome Measures: Perception of occurrence of harassment and abuse as well as knowledge of the term "safe sport" and reporting mechanisms. Results: The survey response rate of athletes attending the Safe Sport Booth was 69%. When asked to define Safe Sport, 10% of athletes at the YOG2020 correctly identified a sport environment free from harassment and abuse, 20% identified fair play/antidoping, and 19% safety. When presented with the definition of harassment and abuse, 30.4% expressed surprise, in contrast to 46% in the summer YOG2018. A third (32%) reported that harassment and abuse was either "likely" or "very likely" present in their sport, which was similar to the YOG2018 (34%). The group of athletes not knowing where to go to report harassment and abuse was greater than in the YOG2018 (26% vs 11%). There were no differences in responses between competitive sex (boys' vs girls' events) or type of sport (team vs individual). Conclusions: Outcomes of this study, such as the development of youth-friendly terminology and emphasizing mechanisms for reporting of harassment and abuse, should inform the development of safeguarding educational materials for youth athletes.

Initiatives to safeguard athletes from interpersonal violence (IV) are rapidly growing. In Belgium, knowledge on the magnitude of IV in sport is based on one retrospective prevalence study from 2016 (n = 2.043 adults), involving those who had participated in organized sport for up to 18 years. Data on victimization rates in current youth sport populations are lacking. This study aimed to investigate the magnitude of IV in a sample of 769 athletes (aged between 13 and 21), using the Violence Towards Athletes Questionnaire (VTAQ). All types of IV were prevalent in this sample, ranging from 27% (sexual violence) to 79% (psychological violence and neglect). Boys reported significantly more physical violence, while girls reported significantly more sexual violence. IV perpetrated by peer athletes was reported to the same degree as IV perpetrated by a coach (70%), while IV perpetrated by a parent in the context of sport was somewhat less common, but still prevalent (48%). These findings, including factors associated with elevated exposure rates, can serve as a baseline measurement to monitor and evaluate current and future safeguarding interventions in Belgian sport.

Sport, as a microcosm of society, is not immune to the abuse of its stakeholders. Attention to abuse in sport has recently become a priority for sport organisations following several high-profile cases of athlete abuse from different sports around the world. Resulting from this increased awareness, many sport organisations have commenced work in the field of athlete safeguarding including the development of policy, educational programmes, reporting pathways, investigation mechanisms and research initiatives. One mechanism adopted by many sport organisations to support their safeguarding efforts is the engagement of survivors of abuse in sport: typically, as guest speakers at conferences or educational events. Unfortunately, many sport organisations do not have the knowledge or trauma-informed expertise to engage survivors safely and effectively; and in doing so, may unintentionally retraumatise the survivor if erroneous methods of engagement are employed. For some survivors, this experience may compound the original harms, and thus it also represents an area of vulnerability for the organising entity. The purpose of this paper is to explore the rationale for partnering with survivors of abuse in sport in safeguarding initiatives and to propose a living conceptual framework to support effective and safe survivor engagement in safeguarding initiatives. We will explore the underpinning scientific background, as well as the ‘why’, and ‘how’ of survivor engagement to inform sport organisations, research scientists, policy-makers, conference organisers, safeguarding officers, sport medicine clinicians and survivors themselves.

While the issue of violence against children in sport reached societal concern worldwide, valid measurement tools are lacking. This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Dutch Violence Towards Athletes Questionnaire (VTAQ), a self-report instrument, surveying experiences with violence in youth sport. A total of 769 Belgian young athletes were recruited for this study. Exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) showed excellent model fits and yielded the same latent factors in the athlete and parent subscales as in the original study. However, our analysis revealed an additional factor in the coach subscale, . This factor, consisting of both physical and psychological harmful behaviors relating to performance-enhancing purposes, was named 'instrumental' violence. The emergence of an extra dimension of sport specific interpersonal violence redirects us towards a more extensive study of instrumental types of violence in relation to sports culture, competition level and training load in young athletes.

BackgroundLittle is known about athletes’ understanding of safe sport and occurrence of harassment and abuse in elite youth sport.ObjectiveTo evaluate the IOC Safe Sport educational experience at the Youth Olympic Games 2018 in Buenos Aires and to ascertain the athletes’ (1) understanding of what constitutes harassment and abuse, (2) perception of the occurrence in their sport, and (3) knowledge of where to report.MethodsAthletes visiting the IOC Safe Sport Booth answered a survey related to athletes’ (1) understanding of harassment and abuse in sport, (2) perception of the occurrence of harassment and abuse in their sport, and (3) knowledge of where to report. Experts and volunteers answered an email survey on their experience.ResultsThe response rate was 71.8%. When asked to define ‘safe sport’, the athletes mainly relate the concept to general physical and environmental safety, fair play and clean sport, rather than sport free from harassment and abuse. Almost half (46%) of the athletes expressed surprise by the definition of behaviours of harassment and abuse within sport. When asked if harassment and/or abuse occur in their sport, 47.5% reported ‘no’ or ‘not likely’, while 34% stated ‘likely’ or ‘very likely’; 19% were ‘unsure’. The majority (63%) of athletes knew where to seek help. Three quarters (71%) of the athletes rated the educational materials as ‘good’ to ‘excellent’. The experts and volunteers believed the intervention would result in change in athletes’ awareness, knowledge and behaviour.ConclusionsThis multinational cohort of elite youth athletes is not knowledgeable of the concept of harassment and abuse in sport, despite there being a significant perception of occurrence of harassment and abuse in their sports.

Coaches are instrumental in creating safe sport environments, especially in preventing sexual violence, but little is known about helpful bystander behaviors, hampering effective prevention programs. To identify determining characteristics of positive bystander behavior, 1442 Belgian youth-sport coaches completed a dedicated online questionnaire on bystander-related attitudes, descriptive and injunctive norms, autonomy beliefs, and self-efficacy using two hypothetical sport-associated sexual-violence scenarios. Potential for change was analyzed using confidence interval-based estimation of relevance (CIBER). 127 coaches (9.6%) had witnessed sexual violence over the past year. Most had intervened (single incident: 3.7%; multiple incidents: 2.4%). Experiential attitude expectation, instrumental attitude evaluation, perceived referent behavior and approval, and subskill presence were positively associated with coaches’ intentions to intervene. Of the determinants of positive coach-bystander behavior, attitude and perceived norms proved key constituents for programs addressing sexual violence in youth sport. To promote (pro-)active coach-bystander behaviors, the results are discussed from a theoretical and practice-oriented perspective.

To analyze the Winter Youth Olympic Games (YOG) 2020 athletes' understanding and perceptions of harassment and abuse in sport and their knowledge of reporting mechanisms.A cohort study.The Winter YOG2020 in Lausanne, Switzerland.Accredited athletes at the YOG2020.An athlete safeguarding educational program was delivered at the YOG2020. Participating athletes were encouraged to answer a survey embedded in the safeguarding educational materials during the YOG.Perception of occurrence of harassment and abuse as well as knowledge of the term "safe sport" and reporting mechanisms.The survey response rate of athletes attending the Safe Sport Booth was 69%. When asked to define Safe Sport, 10% of athletes at the YOG2020 correctly identified a sport environment free from harassment and abuse, 20% identified fair play/antidoping, and 19% safety. When presented with the definition of harassment and abuse, 30.4% expressed surprise, in contrast to 46% in the summer YOG2018. A third (32%) reported that harassment and abuse was either "likely" or "very likely" present in their sport, which was similar to the YOG2018 (34%). The group of athletes not knowing where to go to report harassment and abuse was greater than in the YOG2018 (26% vs 11%). There were no differences in responses between competitive sex (boys' vs girls' events) or type of sport (team vs individual).Outcomes of this study, such as the development of youth-friendly terminology and emphasizing mechanisms for reporting of harassment and abuse, should inform the development of safeguarding educational materials for youth athletes.

Child maltreatment (CM) and bullying can have many consequences for victims. Although we know it very well now, evidence of the consequences of these experiences in sport is lacking. The limited data that we have address only some aspects of the possible consequences of CM and bullying in sport, such as impacts on somatisation, depression, anxiety, and quality of life. Despite this progress in the field, some forms of consequences of CM and bullying in sport remain understudied, such as self-directed violence. Recent reviews in the CM and bullying literature, however, show clear links with self-directed violence, such as self-harm, disordered eating, suicide, and addictive behaviours. The aim of this chapter is to describe the state of knowledge of the links between CM and bullying suffered within the sport environment and self-directed violence, including behaviours that are specific to sport, such as doping and training while injured.

Interpersonal violence in sport occurs in different forms, from emotional abuse, overtraining, bullying, physical aggression and pressuring to punishment and sexual abuse. Due to the use of different definitions, a comparison of prevalence estimates between studies in different countries has not been possible to date. The aim of the current study was thus to present the prevalence estimates of interpersonal violence in elite sport for the Netherlands, Belgium (Flanders), and Germany and to examine the overlap of three types of interpersonal violence. Data from two different surveys (one in the Netherlands and Flanders and another in Germany) of a total of 1,665 elite athletes (n = 533 from the Netherlands and Flanders,n = 1,132 from Germany) were used. Athletes were asked to answer questions about their experiences of psychological, physical, and sexual violence in the context of organized sport. In general, lifetime prevalence estimates for all three types of interpersonal violence are more than 24% in elite athletes, with the highest numbers for psychological violence. Compared to representative population samples the prevalence rate of psychological violence seems to be particularly high. Gender differences were only evident for sexual violence, with female athletes showing higher prevalence estimates than male athletes. Furthermore, a high overlap of experiences of the three different forms of interpersonal violence was found for all three countries. The differences in prevalence estimates between the three countries are discussed.

Policy on or relating to gender-based violence (GBV) in sport settings has a relatively recent history. This paper traces developments in this area at a European level and within individual EU member states’ national frameworks. In doing so, it draws on data gathered in 2016 as part of a study commissioned by the European Commission’s Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency to, among other things, describe the current situation regarding GBV in sport at the EU member state, European Union and international levels. The paper also identifies key issues with existing policy and practice across the EU, and makes recommendations for European organisations, EU member states and sports organisations to raise awareness of and implement initiatives to manage and prevent GBV in and through sport.

The current article reports on perpetrator characteristics gathered in the first large-scale prevalence study on interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Netherlands and Belgium. Using retrospective web survey design, 4043 adults answered questions on their experiences in youth sport. The study looks at the number of perpetrators as well as individual descriptive characteristics (sex, age, and role in the sport organization) of perpetrators of psychological, physical and sexual violence as reported retrospectively by victim-respondents. This information was then clustered to provide an overview of the most common perpetrator profiles. Results show that in all types of interpersonal violence in sport, perpetrators are predominantly male peer athletes who frequently operate together in (impromptu) groups. Several differences between the three types of interpersonal violence are highlighted. While incidents of physical violence perpetrated by coaches tend to be less severe compared to those by other perpetrators, acts of sexual violence committed by a coach are significantly more severe. The presented findings shed new light on perpetrators of interpersonal violence in sport, nuancing the predominant belief that the male coach is the main perpetrator while providing nuanced information that can be utilized to improve prevention and child protection measures and other safeguarding initiatives in sport.

How are the Flemish probation officers doing? A study into work-related stress, coping styles, well-being and quality of life. There remains a great paucity of research focusing on the well-being of Flemish probation officers. To address this gap in the literature, we report findings from an online survey in which 200 Flemish probation officers took part. The purpose of the study was to explore the work-related stressors Flemish probation officers experience and the way they cope with these stressors. In addition, the impact of these stressors and coping styles on the quality of life and well-being was examined. Results indicate that Flemish probation officers experience various stressors related to management, organizational changes and role ambiguity. Several stressors are negatively related to their well-being and quality of life. Also, the emotion-focused coping style is found to mediate the relationship between work-related stress and well-being/quality of life. Implications include raising awareness about professional and personal risk factors that may impair the well-being of Flemish probation officers.

To date, the knowledge base on the topic of violence and integrity in sports is limited, the scientific community is relatively small, and the research field is in its infancy. The few researchers have predominantly been working in silos, and, consequently, initial studies have examined this issue with a singular discipline approach. Violence in sport is a multifaceted issue that has physical, psychological, social and organizational consequences. The fragmentation of the research efforts in this area thus far has limited the possibility of formulating a clear, collaborative and international agenda for future research. In this article, we aim to build on previous research, but also borrow insights from public administration, to pave the way for new studies that look from a governance perspective at policy strategies for the prevention of interpersonal violence against young athletes in sports. Particularly, we aim, in line with the Dutch policy development, to discuss the value of local networks, and its challenges, as vehicles of collaboration and prevention.

In a recent large-scale prevalence study of interpersonal violence (IV) against child athletes in the Netherlands and Belgium we found that 9% of adult respondents who participated in organized sports before the age of 18 had experienced severe psychological violence, 8% severe physical violence, and 6% severe sexual violence in various sport settings. While the general literature has repeatedly shown that exposure to IV during childhood is associated with mental health problems in adulthood and to a lesser extent with reduced quality of life (QOL), these relationships have not been demonstrated in (former) athletes. Thus, the current study aims to assess the association of severe childhood IV in sport and adult wellbeing. Depression, anxiety, and somatization were assessed in the same general population sample (N = 4043) using the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18) and QOL with the World Health Organization Quality of Life questionnaire (WHOQOL-Bref). The association between severe IV in sport and adult wellbeing was investigated using multiple linear regression while controlling for demographics, recent life events, and relatives’ psychological problems. We found severe sexual, physical, and psychological childhood IV in sport to be associated with more adult psychological distress and reduced QOL. Polyvictimization shows the strongest correlation with poorer wellbeing and QOL. Recent life events, relatives’ psychological problems, marital status, and level of education were significant covariates in the psychological symptoms and QOL assessed. We hope that these new insights prompt sport administrators to implement broad spectrum child protection measures and raise the awareness of mental health professionals about the necessity to also screen for adverse childhood experiences in the sport context.

n the last decades the appraisal of risk in sex offenders has seen significant advances through thedevelopment of structured risk assessment tools. Not only have several tools been developed toimprove the predictive validity of risk evaluations in sex offenders, but these assessments are alsoexpected to be advantageous to treatment providers and policy. Now the question arises to whatextent these risk assessment tools are being embraced in practice. The current article will zoom inon current risk assessment practice in Flanders. The main aim is to unravel the role of important players within this field. It will be argued that despite several recent important developments withinFlemish sex offender risk assessment practice, a wide range of factors on the level of media, policymakers, and practitioners threaten to hamper further progress in developing a transparent andevidence-based risk assessment policy. To illustrate this precarious situation in Flanders, threeissues will be addressed. First, the impact of ahigh-profile child sexual abuse case, the Dutrouxcase, on Belgian policy and public opinion will be discussed. Second, the lack of a consistent riskassessment policy across various settings will be illustrated. Finally, critical issues arising from media, policy and practice will be identified.

Sex offenders are upon release usually confronted with suspicion, apprehension, and hostility by the community, including their own social network. Consequently, they often experience feelings of loneliness and a loss of social support. The Circles of Support and Accountability (CoSA) program aims to address these issues by offering social and practical support during the sex offenders’ transition from prison into the community. The aim of the current article is twofold. First, it aims to give an overview of the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of CoSA. The second aim is to analyse to what extent the CoSA model adheres to the principles of the Risk-Need-Responsivity model (RNR; Andrews & Bonta, 2010) and the Good Lives Model (GLM; Ward & Stewart, 2003). Based on these theoretical analyses suggestions will be formulated for the further optimization of the CoSA-projects in Belgium as well as for future studies on CoSA’s efficacy.

Uit een recent grootschalig onderzoek naar grensoverschrijdend gedrag ten aanzien van kinderen in de sport in Vlaanderen en Nederland bleek dat 9% van de volwassenen ervaringen rapporteerde met ernstig psychisch geweld, 8% met ernstig fysiek geweld en 6% met ernstig seksueel geweld in de sport [1]. De negatieve impact van jeugdtrauma op tal van psychische en fysieke problemen in de volwassenheid werd reeds herhaaldelijk aangetoond, echter nog niet eerder binnen de sport. Deze studie onderzocht het verband tussen geweldservaringen in de jeugdsport en het mentale welzijn en de levenskwaliteit in de volwassenheid in een steekproef van 4043 Vlamingen en Nederlanders. De geweldservaringen werden gerapporteerd aan de hand van de Grensoverschrijdend gedrag ten aanzien van kinderen in de sport vragenlijst die voor deze prevalentiestudie ontwikkeld werd. Psychische klachten in de volwassenheid werden gemeten aan de hand van de Brief Symptom Inventory-18, een screeningsinstrument voor psychopathologie en levenskwaliteit werd bevraagd aan de hand van de WHOQOL-Bref, de levenskwaliteit vragenlijst van de Wereld Gezondheidsorganisatie. Het verband tussen ernstige geweldservaringen in de jeugdsport en welzijn in de volwassenheid werd aan de hand van multipele lineaire regressies gemeten, rekening houdend met beïnvloedende factoren zoals demografie, recente stressvolle gebeurtenissen en familiale voorgeschiedenis met psychische problemen. We vonden een negatief verband tussen seksueel, fysiek en psychisch geweld en mentale gezondheid en levenskwaliteit. Ervaringen met meerdere types van ernstig geweld in de jeugdsport leidde tot meer psychische klachten en een sterkere afname van de levenskwaliteit. Deze nieuwe inzichten kunnen beleidsmakers in de sport aanzetten om sterker in te zetten op de preventie van grensoverschrijdend gedrag in de sport en versterken de noodzaak bij professionals in de gezondheidszorg om ook te screening op jeugdtrauma in de sportcontext.

Het meemaken van seksueel geweld leidt vaak tot het ontstaan van trauma’s of andere psychiatrische stoornissen (Jewkes, Sen & Garcia-Moreno,2002). Wanneer slachtoffers van seksueel geweld beslissen hun verhaal teonthullen, is de manier waarop omstaanders erop reageren van grootbelang voor hun welzijn (Campbel, Ahrens, Sefl, Wasco & Barnes, 2001;Campbell, 2005; Filipas & Ullman, 2001; Orchowski, Untied & Gydycz, 2013;Peter-Hagene & Ullman, 2014; Ullman & Filipas, 2001b). Deze bijdragebiedt een beknopt literatuuroverzicht van verschillende mogelijkeom gevingsreacties op de onthulling van seksueel geweld en de invloedervan op het slachtoffer. Daaraan voorafgaand staan we stil bij de definitieen de prevalentie van seksueel geweld.

Following a high-profile case of child sexual abuse in sport in 1996, the Netherlands Olympic Committee and the Netherlands Sports Confederation (NOC*NSF) established a telephone ‘helpline’ service on sexual harassment and abuse (SHA). In order to expand their understanding of this problem, NOC*NSF maintained written records of incidents reported to the helpline. These records revealed 323 separate incidents for the period 2001 to 2010. This paper presents a descriptive analysis of this data and discusses the findings. We conclude that whilst there are major limitations to working with information gathered in this way, a sustainable telephone ‘helpline’ can provide a valuable service for the sports community. Whilst official sources of data are known to under represent the scale of sexual abuse, through collaboration with researchers, such services can also generate important information for policymakers.

The current article reports on the first large-scale prevalence study on interpersonal violence against children in sport in the Netherlands and Belgium. Using a dedicated online questionnaire, over 4,000 adults prescreened on having participated in organized sport before the age of 18 were surveyed with respect to their experiences with childhood psychological, physical, and sexual violence while playing sports. Being the first of its kind in the Netherlands and Belgium, our study has a sufficiently large sample taken from the general population, with a balanced gender ratio and wide variety in socio-demographic characteristics. The survey showed that 38% of all respondents reported experiences with psychological violence, 11% with physical violence, and 14% with sexual violence. Ethnic minority, lesbian/gay/bisexual (LGB) and disabled athletes, and those competing at the international level report significantly more experiences of interpersonal violence in sport. The results are consistent with rates obtained outside sport, underscoring the need for more research on interventions and systematic follow-ups, to minimize these negative experiences in youth sport.

Over the past decade, the international agenda on the prevention of child sexual harassment and abuse in sport has been strengthened by a number of general policy recommendations. Despite a growing body of literature and research about sexual harassment and abuse in sport, there is hardly any evidence-based policy and preven- tion research to guide the policy implementation process. By using the Flemish sport 15 system as its empirical focus, this article investigates the feasibility of the so-called Flag System to translate policy into practice. The Flag System is a didactic tool created to assist sport stakeholders in the assessment of sexual behaviour involving children. It is in the process of being implemented in Flanders, and preliminary findings suggest a high level of feasibility at all levels of organized sports. Demonstrating that a number 20 of inhibiting forces have effectively been reduced in Flanders, the current analysis of the process of planned change suggests that the Flag System has potential in bridging the gap between policy and practice and may also be suitable for implementation in other Western countries.

De laatste decennia is er in toenemende mate maatschappelijke en politieke aandacht voor de hulpverlening aan daders van seksueel geweld. Die toename piekt doorgaans bij de bekendmaking van spraakmakende seksuele misdrijven die de schade van seksueel geweld voor slachtoffer en maatschappij tentoonspreiden. Hierbij verwacht de maatschappij van onder meer de hulpverlener dat de kans op recidive bij iedere dader tot een minimum - en bij voorkeur tot nul - herleid wordt. Maar hoe succesvol zijn de huidige behandelingsprogrammas voor daders van seksueel geweld? Begrijpt de wetenschap de onderliggende mechanismen van seksueel geweld al voldoende? Zijn wij in staat om deviante seksuele voorkeuren tijdig te detecteren en recidive te voorspellen? Dat zijn prangende vragen. Op 17 en 18 maart 2016 vond op de campus van de Thomas More Hogeschool te Antwerpen een grootschalig congres plaats over de behandeling van zedendelinquenten. Voor dat congres werd samengewerkt tussen de expertise-eenheid Toegepaste Forensische Psychologie van Thomas More, het Universitair Forensisch Centrum (onderdeel van de Universitaire Ziekenhuisdienst Psychiatrie van het Universitair Ziekenhuis Antwerpen) en de Nederlandse afdeling van de Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers (NL-ATSA).

Recent prevalentieonderzoek bij een steekproef van 4.000 Nederlandse en Vlaamse volwassenen toont aan dat 1 op de 7 volwassenen die in kindertijd of jeugd sportten, op zn minst eenmalig seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag heeft ervaren in de sport. Sinds 2012 maakt de Vlaamse sportwereld werk van de preventie van seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag in de sport. Dit artikel beschrijft een stand van zaken van het preventiebeleid en licht een veelbelovend instrument Sport met grenzen toe. De auteurs doen tevens een oproep aan de sportarts om een actieve rol op te nemen bij het ontwikkelen, installeren en uitdragen van een preventief en curatief beleid in de sportvereniging.

The major aims of this study were to quantify the reported prevalence of unwanted sexual experiences involving male coaches among a sample of Flemish female student‐athletes and to investigate the latter's perceptions of the acceptability of related coaching behaviors. A questionnaire based on the research of Volkwein, Schnell, Sherwood, and Livezy (1997), Brackenridge (1997), Toftegaard‐Nielsen (2001), and Fejgen and Hanegby (2001), probing the reported prevalence and perceptions of unacceptable, sexual coach behaviors, was completed by 435 student‐athletes at a Catholic university (N = 291) and at a liberal, non‐religiously affiliated university (N = 144). Despite significant differences in perceptions between the students at the two universities, no differences were found between the reported prevalence of unacceptable and serious sexual coach behaviors. The reported prevalence was comparable to prevalence data reported in the USA, the UK, Australia, and the Scandinavian countries

IntroductionA recent cohort study in the Netherlands and Belgium showed that 38% of children experienced psychological violence, 11% physical violence, and 14% sexual violence in sport (Vertommen et al., 2016). This study aims to explore the long-term consequences on anxiety, depression and somatic complaints in adults who experienced psychological, physical or sexual violence in the specific context of organized youth sport.MethodsA web survey in a representative sample of adults, prescreened on having participated in organized sport before the age of 18 (n = 4043) was conducted. In this sample, depression, anxiety and somatic problems were assessed using the brief symptom inventory. A generalized linear model was used to quantify the impact of experiencing severe interpersonal violence in sport on psychopathology.ResultsAll three types of severe interpersonal violence (psychological, physical and sexual) were significantly associated with the total score and the subscales of the brief symptom inventory. The effect remains significant after controlling for socio-demographics, as well as disability, sexual orientation, adverse childhood experiences outside sport, recent trauma and family history of psychological problems.ConclusionsExperiencing interpersonal violence against in youth sport is associated with mental health problems in adulthood. This is an important finding to consider in child protection policy in sport.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Increasing children’s participation in sport has been high on the political and academic agenda for many years. However, the prevention of child maltreatment in sport is a recent addition to global sport policy, with organisations such as the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and UNICEF now officially recognising that children in sport are at risk of exploitation and abuse. Following from early developments in a handful of countries such as the UK and Canada, triggered by high-profile cases of child sexual abuse in sport, concern about safeguarding children and young people in sport is now apparent on a global scale. This concern has led to the emergence of initiatives and policies aimed at safeguarding and protecting children and young people in sport. Comprising 19 newly commissioned chapters (plus a foreword, introduction and conclusion), this book is one of the first to consider safeguarding and child protection in sport from a global perspective. In many instances, chapters represent the first published account of developments in this area. The book is split into two parts. Part 1 critically analyses current child protection and safeguarding policy and practice in sport across a variety of countries to provide a picture of the context across sport globally. This represents the most comprehensive review to date of the landscape of child protection and safeguarding in sport and provides a starting point for critical international comparisons. Meanwhile, Part 2 explores a range of issues related to child protection and safeguarding in sport, including many not covered in previous texts. This section is especially relevant given that while in many instances the impetus for policy in this area arose from concerns about sexual rather than other forms of abuse (reflected in Part 1) a broader, more holistic approach to safeguarding and athlete welfare is warranted.

Yasmin is a timid 11-year-old girl who plays korfball in a sports club at local level in Flanders. She is relatively early maturing, and is the only one in her age group with signs of an adolescent body (growth of body hair, breasts, menstruation). At a sport technical level, Yasmin is one of the average performers in the team. She is not a top scorer but she does possess good basic skills at the level of the competition in which she is participating. The case of Yasmin emphasises the importance of being aware of the risk of sexual harassment and (cyber)bullying in sports clubs. There are dangers for the individual victim (Yasmin), but also for the self-esteem and reputation of the perpetrator(s) (Joe and Victor) and finally for the learning climate of the sports club. Reflection can be identified as a key component of pedagogy. Parents and coaches are sometimes unfamiliar with the process of critical reflection in a sports club context, and with ethical dilemmas related to harassment. It must be recognised that the criteria used to judge and estimate the consequences of such behaviours (or non-behaviours) are complex and until recently were largely unknown to the broader public.

Jeugdsport en kinderrechten in Vlaanderen

"Sport, een spel met grenzen " is een handig instrument voor bestuurders van een sportorganisatie, sportbegeleiders en sporters om bewust te leren omgaan met lichamelijk of seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag in de sport. Aan de hand van zes criteria leer je lichamelijk of seksueel grensoverschrijdend gedrag correct inschatten. Zo kan je een situatie beoordelen met een groene, gele of rode of zwarte vlag. die kleur geeft ook aan hoe je gepast kan reageren., This is a didactical tool for sport organisations, coaches and sport participants to learn to judge, based on six criteria, certain situations concerning physical or sexual harrassment in sport.

Unwanted sexual intimacies in sport. Perceptions and experiences of unacceptable coach behavior by female student-athletes in the Flemish part of Belgium. International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology (IJSEP°