Serious question, prompted by this Radio 4 program (USians might have to use Tunnel Bear or similar). Though theoretically about sport in general, almost all of their actual examples are about martial arts. Is there something about the hobby in particular, or the kind of people who practise it, that leads to a greater prevalence of kiddy-fiddling and abuse of trust?
judoka_uk will enjoy cameo appearances by all his favourite UK Judo personalities.
[QUOTE=PointyShinyBurn;2704527]Serious question, prompted by this Radio 4 program (USians might have to use Tunnel Bear or similar). Though theoretically about sport in general, almost all of their actual examples are about martial arts. Is there something about the hobby in particular, or the kind of people who practise it, that leads to a greater prevalence of kiddy-fiddling and abuse of trust?
judoka_uk will enjoy cameo appearances by all his favourite UK Judo personalities.[/QUOTE]
Sampling bias maybe? We’d need to see the rates per x number of people per sport to know for sure. Or perhaps the MA related ones are the most spectacular?
Might also have something to do with team vs individual sports?
Or the MA abusers are just stoopid?
Interesting question for sure
Certainly the selection was slanted towards MA. Although I imagine that Judo and swimming are probably sports in which abuse is more likely than in Krotty or running simply because of the physical nature of the activities.
It was interesting that in the piece about Roberts the programme pointed out that he could go and set up his own org and start teaching. Then later on in the programme they go and talk to some who had separated from the BJA, although not because of any wrong doing, who had had someone being dodgy in his splinter org.
This Roberts thing has been on the super QT, btw, I have heard nothing about it before it appeared on the Beeb and no one I know had heard about it either. Also Roberts hasn’t been tried or prosecuted the QPS found there was insufficient evidence to proceed and the BJA only were able to exclude him on a balance of probability. It’s therefore interesting that they have decided to go so public with this, its clear from the radio programme and this accompanying article:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-18746389
That the BJA took this Roberts story to the Beeb and then the Beeb built the rest of the programme around it. It seems likely to me that lacking evidence to prosecute and the internal tribunal only able to rule on a balance of probability. Then the BJA have clearly felt it necessary to sentence him via the media.
Two ways of looking at that. 1. That the BJA are so concerned about Roberts going off and teaching elsewhere and knowing they have no power to stop it have used the BBC to broadcast his case to the nation in the hope of stopping him. 2. Given the police didn’t have enough evidence to prosecute, the internal tribunal only could conclude on a balance of probability that maybe Roberts’ claim of conspiracy has some reality and that the BJA going to the Beeb is just the final act against him.
In terms of child protection and Judo specifically. The BJA’s child protection toolkit is held up as the example of best practice by Sport England and several other sports governing bodies built their guidelines based on the BJA’s.
To even be an assistant and be allowed on the mat you have to have had a criminal records check and undergone child protection training. Also each club has a dedicated welfare officer who’s job it is to look after all issues relating to child protection.
British Judo child protection measures are world class and its culture of child protection is world leading. However, despite this British Judo will never be able to eliminate abuse or malpractice by coaches and others in authority positions, because no system is perfect, no safeguards in fallible and no person un-decievable.
It will be interesting to see how BJJ develops in this area. With no central governing body and operating outside of most of the formal structures used to safeguard children in the UK, it seems it will only be a matter of time before a big abuse scandal breaks. The US has already seen the Hermes Franca incident and the UK won’t be far behind.
Can be downloaded?
You can download it as a podcast from Itunes, at least you can in the UK, now idea about elsewhere. Search for File on 4.