In case of immediate danger, call 112 (emergency services, in Belgium and across Europe) or 101 (police, in Belgium). The rest of this page comes after.
You are a young athlete
If someone is hurting you, making you uncomfortable or asking you to keep a secret, you have the right to talk about it. What is happening to you is not your fault, and you do not have to go through it alone.
Talk to an adult you trust: your parents, someone at your school, a coach, or the trusted person in your club. If you do not know who to talk to, in Belgium you can call 103 (the children's helpline): it is free, you do not have to say who you are, and someone listens every day. You can also find help near you on tupeuxledire.be (in French). In other countries, look for your national child helpline.
To recognise what is acceptable and what is not, the quiz goes through nine situations with you.
You are a parent
Listen to your child without pressing them with questions, write down what they tell you in their own words, and reassure them: they did the right thing by talking. Avoid confronting the person concerned yourself.
Contact the trusted person or welfare officer of the club, or failing that its chair. If the club does not react, or if the facts are serious, turn to the federation, to a children's helpline for advice, to child protection services or to the police.
To prepare for these situations, the training On the sidelines, a role that matters and the article on photos, videos and social media give concrete pointers.
You are a coach, a volunteer or a club official
It is not up to you to determine whether abuse has taken place; it is up to you to report your concern. Write down the facts (who, what, when, where), without interpreting, and pass them on to the safeguarding lead of your club or your federation.
For situations involving an offence or a danger to a minor, contact the police or child protection services. For advice, most countries have a confidential helpline for adults (in Belgium, 107, Télé-Accueil).
A club that has prepared for this moment reacts better: our reporting form and procedure template can be set up in one meeting, and step 3 of the toolkit explains the procedure.
Outside Belgium
The numbers above are Belgian. In most countries, a free helpline for children exists (for example 119 in France, 116 111 in many European countries, Childline in the United Kingdom), as well as a safeguarding officer at your national federation. When in doubt, the police in your country is always a possible point of contact.
The other useful services, the legal framework and the specialised organisations are gathered in our resource centre.