"We're the One's Working on the Ground, the 'Real' Ground": Exploring Tensions and Realities of Global South SFD NGOs in Fostering 'Safe Sport' Environments for Children and Youth

Abstract

Across the globe, mounting concerns have been raised about the safety of children and youth in sport (Kerr et al., 2020). As such, many global sport organizations have been implementing safe sport policies and frameworks, such as the International Safeguards for Children in Sport, to protect children and youth from abuse and maltreatment (Gurgis et al., 2022). However, in Global South countries, the implementation of safe sport initiatives remains limited, further complicating efforts to protect children and youth. This study examines the relationship between Sport for Development (SFD) programs and safe sport policies and practices, focusing on how these initiatives support – or fail to support – the safety of children and youth participating in Global South contexts. Grounded in decolonial feminist theory, the study draws on semi-structured interviews with SFD NGO staff members operating in Global South contexts (n = 15) and a documentary analysis of key SFD NGO safe sport policy documents (n = 10). Data was analyzed using two complementary approaches, including Bacchi’s (2012) What’s the Problem Represented to Be (WPR) approach and critical discourse analysis. Findings revealed that safe sport policies and practices must move away from a universal and ‘one-size-fits-all’ approach to safeguarding. Instead, there is a critical need for context-specific safe sport policies that account for local geographies and the sociological, cultural, political, and colonial conditions that shape violence and abuse in Global South regions. To meaningfully enhance the safety of children and youth in SFD programs – particularly in relation to gender, race, and class – further research is needed in the SFD field that prioritizes and foregrounds intersectional and decolonial approaches to safe sport.