Child Online Protection webinar – Summary of a round table discussion
On Tuesday, September 21st EFDN organised together with SCORT and ITU a Round table discussion on ‘Child Online Protection in European Football Clubs’. During the webinar, several panelists shared their expertise and insights on this important topic.
As a result of the recent survey among EFDN Members regarding Child Online Protection, this event was created for football clubs to help them face the challenges regarding the protection of children online. With the growing use of digital tools and online interactions, there has never been a more important moment to address these questions and talk about COP.
Therefore we gathered experts like Richard Taylor (Safeguarding Lead of Aberdeen Football Club and Community Trust), and Laura Sabate Amoros (Project coordinator at Barça Foundation) from the EFDN club members as well as Andreas Fischer (Head of Sales New Business, Sponsoring & Service, Schalke 04 Esports) who joined the specialists of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) – the UN specialised agency for ICTs – Carla Licciardello (Digital Inclusion Coordinator), Fanny Rotino (Child Online Protection Program Officer), and David Wright (Co-Author of the ITU COP Guidelines & Director of the UK Safer Internet Centre). The event was moderated by Tanya Rütti and Tom Vahid of the SCORT Foundation.
Child Protection & Safeguarding measures have become a fundamental part of European clubs to ensure football is safe for children and youth. The digital aspects are often lacking in clubs’ protection policies including the youth community. Which made one of the main questions: What role do football clubs play in protecting children online? The Barça Foundation shared in this their online campaign about bullying while Richard Taylor emphasised the role of the parents in creating a safe social environment for the children.
During an hour and a half, the panelists have openly discussed this topic. Their expertise and best practices were really valuable and brought some different topics to the table as cyberbullying, IT skills, the role of each one in the policy implementation and the social context of the child, and more. From facts and figures to the practical way, this webinar could help clubs to understand the main challenges and opportunities we can have in Child Online Protection topic.
Despite obvious reasons to have COP guidelines, survey data shows that many clubs seem to struggle to include COP in their protection guidelines. We hope this conversation helped to connect the experiences on both sides and gain inspiration and courage to create a safer environment for children beyond the playing field.
If your club is interested in COP feel free to contact Project Manager Bryan Lucas or Communication Manager Stijn Slaats
Aris Limassol FC Social, Environmental, and Health Initiatives
