Child Athlete Bill of Rights

THE CHILD ATHLETE BILL OF RIGHTS: EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO BE SAFE
Childhood sexual abuse is an epidemic across America generating debilitating developmental effects,
post-traumatic stress, substance abuse, and more. For the over 50 million young athletes across the
country who turn to sports as a refuge, this health crisis remains a pervasive epidemic, and devastating
across youth sports. The fact is that states across America as well as sports institutions – whether at the
Olympic level or at the local one – lack the accountability mechanisms needed to enforce any
safeguarding policies and there is simply no national regime or set of regulations governing youth sports
– meaning sexual abusers can fly under the radar from state to state, from facility to facility.
What are advocates doing to end sexual abuse of children in sports? National advocates CHILD USA, the
leading national nonprofit think tank working to end child abuse and neglect in the U.S., and The Army of
Survivors, the nation’s only organization advocating for and supporting child athlete survivors of sexual
violence, together are launching a first-of-its-kind national Child Athlete Bill of Rights for sports camps,
gyms, and clubs to adopt in order to empower young athletes, which includes an actionable blueprint to
protect children’s rights. These two leading organizations are banding together to form the Coalition for
Empowered Athletes. The Coalition is calling on all local gyms, clubs, camps, and training facilities to
commit to preventing sexual assault against child athletes in their facilities by following the Child Athlete
Bill of Rights and implementing the policies outlined below to uphold the rights of child athletes.
The Child Athlete Bill of Rights is grounded on the idea that every child has the right to be SAFE. That
means:
● Say “no”: You have the right to say “no” in unwanted situations.
● Act: You have the right to disclose and act when something doesn’t feel right.
● Feel: You have the right to express your feelings and emotions and receive support.
● Educate: You have the right to understand what abuse is and how to report it.
To achieve the goals of the Child Athlete Bill of Rights, experts recommend implementing policies and
procedures that keep children SAFE. The Child Athlete Bill of Rights is supported by several reports, the
2021 CARE Report (Census of Athlete Rights Experiences), the first global study to look at elite athletes'
experiences to understand whether and how their rights were protected as children in sports, CHILD
USA’s Gold Standard Report, a evidence-based and expert-vetted set of policies that institutions can
employ, and the “Ready to Respond” Handbook, which provides valuable, hands on guidance to player
associations on how to exercise duty of care for athletes who are suffering effects of trauma and/or who
disclose abuse or harassment in sports. Below are some baseline policies gyms, clubs, and camps must
enact to ensure child athletes feel safe and supported:
Survivor Athlete Rights and Trauma-informed Support

Background Screenings
Education for Both Children and Adults
Code of Conduct
Adequate Supervision/Safety Policies
Reporting Policies and Procedures
Survivor Athlete Rights and Trauma-informed Support

● Share and post the Child Athlete Bill of Rights throughout the facility and with all athletes,
coaches, team staff and volunteers, and child athlete parents and guardians.
● Ensure child athletes are aware of, and fully understand, the Child Athlete Bill of Rights
● Educate and empower athletes to know and exercise their rights.
● Build awareness among athletes, coaches, team staff and volunteers, and parents and guardians
about the issue and prevalence of sexual assault.
● Create a safe and trauma-informed environment where reporting sexual assault isn’t feared;
whistleblowers aren’t punished; and the well-being of each athlete is a priority. This includes
both their physical and mental well-being.
● Ensure athlete survivor-centered and trauma-informed systems are in place to support athletes
pre- and post-reporting including what an athlete should expect once a report has been made as
well as how to avoid victim-blaming and retraumatization. Also include information about
vicarious trauma and the importance of self-care for athletes, whistleblowers and those the child
athlete disclosed the abuse to.
● Educate athletes, coaches, team staff and volunteers, and parents and guardians about trauma
and its effects.
Background Screenings
● Conduct multiple levels of checks for every employee or volunteer (e.g., state criminal history,
FBI fingerprinting, national sex offender registry, CPS registry, etc).
● To be effective, criminal background checks for staff and coaches should be combined with at
least three personal reference checks, structured interviews, examining employment history,
credential verification, identity verification, and checking abuse registries and other disciplinary
bodies.
● Conduct background screenings for all third-party contractors who have contact with children.
● Conduct international background checks for all potential employees and volunteers who have
lived in other countries.
Education for All Adults and Children

● Youth-serving organizations should deliver child wellbeing, safeguarding and protection training
to everyone involved with their programming, including adult staff and volunteers, parents and
guardians, and youth participants and volunteers.
● That training should include the nature and scope of child abuse; signs, symptoms, and
consequences of child abuse; appropriate and inappropriate physical contact and other
interpersonal boundary violations; and education regarding signs of sexual abuse and trauma
● Provide education on the specifics of abuse itself, harassment, grooming and trauma, as well as
resources on trauma and what a trauma-informed environment is.
● Provide guidance and training to player managers on how to exercise their duty of care for
athletes who disclose abuse, harassment or trauma in sport. Include training on how to respond
to an athlete that discloses abuse in a trauma-informed way.
● Educate child athletes on what constitutes sexual abuse, and empower them to recognize and
exercise their rights.
● Require training for employees/volunteers to be completed within 30 days of being hired and
before working with minors.
● Repeat training at least annually and utilizing evidence-based training programs.
Code of Conduct
● Creating an organizational culture that prioritizes child safety starts with a strong Code of
Conduct. Having a Code of Conduct is fundamental because it provides a straight-forward outline
of how adults should maintain appropriate relationships with youth, and it clearly states
acceptable and unacceptable behavior.
● That Code of Conduct should provide guidelines on appropriate physical contact and physical
boundary violations (e.g. contact with any sexual body parts on or under clothing, offering or
asking for massages, having children over age 5 sit on laps, photographing and/or videotaping
minors without permission)
● It should also include prohibiting grooming behaviors such as forming special relationships or
giving children special gifts or privileges, prohibit sharing sleeping quarters with children during
overnight trips or travel for competitions, and prohibit off-site interactions between
staff/volunteers and children unless part of organizational activity with parental permission.
● The Code of Conduct should be explained to children and parents and posted on the
organization’s website.
● Require staff and volunteers to sign a statement of receipt and agreement with the Code of
Conduct upon being hired and annually thereafter.
Adequate Supervision/Safety Policies

● Develop, adopt and enforce compliance with formal policies to protect child athletes from
abuse.
● A crucial part of child sexual abuse prevention involves modifying physical spaces to increase
security and child safety. Physical environment risks include rooms with no windows, offices with
doors lacking windows, and no security cameras in high-risk areas.
● Acquire separate sleeping, changing, and bathing accommodations for adults and children
during overnight trips.
● Prohibit staff/volunteers from providing one-on-one transportation for children.
● Increase visibility by creating clear lines of sight throughout the building, securing areas not used
for program purposes, installing bright lighting in all areas, and installing clear windows to allow
visibility into offices and meeting rooms.
● Establish formal screening procedures for building entrances and exits, including a sign in/out
sheet and a staff monitor.
Reporting Policies and Procedures

● Organizations must empower staff to recognize and report concerning behaviors which violate
sexual and/or emotional boundaries, even if they do not rise to the level of abuse. These “red
flag” behaviors should be clearly prohibited in the organization’s code of conduct, and a separate
policy should outline the steps an employee or volunteer must take to report concerns about red
flag behaviors observed in colleagues.
● Designate an internal officer within the human resources department to receive all reports of
“red flag” behaviors and coordinate a response.
● When sexual abuse does, unfortunately, occur in youth-serving and athletic organizations, staff
and administrators must report the abuse directly to civil authorities.
● Post-reporting, offer appropriate resources to support an athlete survivor’s well-being including
their physical and mental health. Information on safety planning must also be part of the
survivor-centered response.
● Provide information on how to report abuse on its website and in child-friendly posters on the
organization’s premises.
● Establish whistleblower protection policies and provide good-faith immunity for reporters.
To learn more about the policies that sports camps, gyms should include, check out the following
resources:
CHILD USA’s Gold Standard Report:

Policy Recommendations for Preventing Child Sexual Abuse
CHILD USA’s Gold Standard Policy is an evidence-based and expert-vetted set of policies that is intended
to be used by any Youth Serving Organization to protect the children they serve from abuse. It includes
tools for prevention, training recommendations, reporting procedures, and much more to assist and
advise organizations working with children.
2021 CARE Report:

The 2021 CARE Report (Census of Athlete Rights Experiences) is the first global study to look at elite
athletes’ experiences to understand whether and how their rights were protected as children in sports.
The “Ready to Respond” Handbook:

The “Ready to Respond” Handbook provides valuable, hands on guidance to player associations on how
to exercise duty of care for athletes who are suffering effects of trauma and/or who disclose abuse or
harassment in sports.
The website for the Coalition for Empowered Athletes, which contains the Child Athlete Bill of Rights and
additional resources, can be found here.

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THE CHILD ATHLETE BILL OF RIGHTS: EVERY CHILD HAS THE RIGHT TO BE SAFE

Survivor Athlete Rights and Trauma-informed Support

Survivor Athlete Rights and Trauma-informed Support

Education for All Adults and Children

Adequate Supervision/Safety Policies

Reporting Policies and Procedures

CHILD USA’s Gold Standard Report:

2021 CARE Report:

The “Ready to Respond” Handbook:

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