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Pacific Mini Games safeguarding initiative uncovers 11 abuse cases

From RNZ Pacific · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • Eleven "safeguarding" cases, including bullying and sexual harassment, were officially recorded during the Pacific Mini Games in Palau last year.
  • These cases were reported to the "Safe Games" team, a new initiative integrated into the event for the first time.
  • While 70% of victims were girls and women, and 70% of perpetrators were boys and men, the initiative aims to create safer and more inclusive sports environments across the region.

A total of eleven "safeguarding" cases, encompassing issues from bullying to sexual harassment, were officially documented at last year's Pacific Mini Games held in Palau. These incidents were reported to the "Safe Games" team, a newly established unit deployed to the event to address such concerns.

It was systemised and it was incorporated pre and during the [Mini] Games, and we were also quite surprised to see that we received 16 incidents that were reported to the Safe Games team.

— Roshika DeoTeam Up safeguarding advisor, discussing the integration of safeguarding measures at the Pacific Mini Games.

Roshika Deo, a safeguarding advisor for Team Up, revealed in an interview with RNZ Pacific that the actual number of cases might be higher, as some incidents may have gone unreported. The "Safe Games" team received 16 initial reports, with eleven confirmed as safeguarding issues, including sexual harassment, physical abuse, neglect, and failure of duty of care.

During the Games, which brought together over 1500 athletes from 23 Pacific nations, statistics indicated that 70% of the victims were female, while 70% of the perpetrators were male. Approximately 30% of the victims were minors, and 55% of those affected were athletes themselves.

Eleven were safeguarding issues and they ranged from things like sexual harassment, physical abuse, neglect and failure of duty of care, harassment and bullying.

— Roshika DeoDetailing the types of incidents recorded by the Safe Games team.

Deo emphasized that this was the first time safeguarding measures were formally integrated into a Pacific Games event. She noted that building trust in a new system takes time. The Team Up project, supported by the Australian government, collaborates with various international organizations, including the International Olympic Committee and UN Women, to promote safe, inclusive, and accessible sports environments.

This was the first time, so it takes a while for people to build their trust and confidence in a new system.

— Roshika DeoReflecting on the implementation of the new safeguarding initiative.

The initiative involves over 35 partners across 15 sports and aims to ensure that sports are safe and respectful for all participants, from children to adults. The goal is to foster an environment where everyone feels secure, respected, and included, allowing them to engage in sports positively and empoweringly.

Everyone should feel safe, should feel respected and should feel included in sports.

— Roshika DeoStating the core principle of the safeguarding initiative.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by RNZ Pacific. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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