CASES

Sexual Violence, Sport, Prevalence, Prevention

Edge Hill University, UK (Coordinator)

German Sport University, Cologne

University of Vic-University of Central Catalonia

Women in Professional Sport Association - Asociación para Mujeres en el Deporte Profesional (AMDP)

University of Vienna, Austria

100% Sport – Competence Centre for Gender Equality in Austrian Sports (Austria)

National Institute for Mother and Child Health ‘Alessandrescu-Rusescu’ (NIMCH)

Research unit Epidemiology and Publich Health (SEHPO), University of Antwerp (Antwerp)

Sport England

German Sport Youth

The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)

01/2019-12/2021

CASES is a collaborative partnership between 7 European universities, 2 national and 1 international sport organisation with experience in and commitment to enhancing the safety of children in sport and protecting them from abuse. The project will generate crucial data on child maltreatment and abuse in European sport and produce accessible educational materials with and for the sport sector.

The project will deliver a scientific study that will provide a robust assessment of the extent to which children (under 18) in sport are subjected to exploitation and abuse in 6 EU countries. The team will also collaborate with individuals who have firsthand experience of abuse in sport at all stages of the project. These will be individuals with whom they have established professional relationships through their advocacy and engagement work. The study will survey a representative sample (by region, gender and age) of (approximately) 2000 individuals aged 18+ years in each partner country, who have participated in sport during childhood. The survey will focus particularly on the sport context in relation to experiences of exploitation and abuse. The focus of the online questionnaire will be on sexual exploitation and abuse but other forms of child maltreatment and abuse will also be included. Participants are requested to report their experiences in retrospective. Thus, comparisons of experiences during childhood and adulthood are possible. Following robust analysis of the data generated, the scientific team will write up the findings in a series of national reports, culminating in a Project Report that will provide comparative analysis. The project will then develop educational resources for the sport sector aimed at enhancing understanding of this issue within its grassroots partners and affiliated bodies and providing the sector with sound evidence. Ultimately, the study aims to collect scientifically robust evidence that will provide insights pertinent to strategic efforts to prevent abuse in sport and to develop resources for the sport sector that will support sport organisations to safeguard children’s welfare.