Against a background of high profile cases of child abuse in sport in the media, Edge Hill University is playing a major role in a new event to raise awareness and share research about exploitation in sport.
The NWG Safeguarding in Sport Informed Learning Event, in association with Edge Hill and Sport England, will be held in Reading on 19th September. It is designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the problem of child sexual exploitation in sport and the policy measures in place to prevent it, as well as examining the key findings from the past 30 years of research into this issue and the latest international developments.
Dr Mike Hartill, Reader in the Sociology of Sport at Edge Hill, is one of the keynote speakers at the event. He will be presenting findings and recommendations from the international VOICES for Truth and Dignity Research Project, which looked at abuse in sport through the eyes of survivors.
“I was delighted to be invited to speak at this event,” said Mike. “NWG Network have been a fantastic partner in the VOICE project, their expertise and commitment to supporting survivors was a huge benefit to the project and we are now collaborating on a range of exciting new endeavours aimed at supporting the sports sector.”
Click here for more information about the event.
An expert on child maltreatment and sexual exploitation in sport, and child protection in sport policy, Mike works with a range of local, national and international organisations and is currently providing expert advice on child protection in sport to the FA’s independent inquiry into non-recent allegations of child sexual abuse.
Mike will be joined by former Chelsea FC player Dr Colin Harris, whose keynote speech focuses on his own experiences of abuse in sport and his involvement in VOICES.
Find out more about Mike and Colin’s work together on the VOICES project in the video below.