The WRU works in partnership with the NSPCC Child Protection in Sport Unit to develop robust policies and procedures to safeguard children, and has achieved Level 3 of the National Safeguarding Standards for safeguarding and protecting children in sport.
This week, Wales squad players Sam Warburton, Jonathan Davies and Ken Owens took time out to support Operation Net Safe, a joint initiative by the four Welsh police forces to tackle child sexual abuse. The forces are working with the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, the only UK-wide child protection charity dedicated solely to reducing the risk of children being sexually abused, on a campaign called Stop it Now!
Stop it Now! directs offenders, potential offenders, and their concerned loved ones to a confidential and anonymous helpline, and self-help resources to enable them to proactively address their behaviour.
The three Wales players have contributed to a short film in both English and Welsh, played on the big screen at the Wales v Ireland match which will be used by the Welsh police forces as part of the Operation Net Safe campaign to help raise awareness about online child sexual exploitation .
CLICK HERE to view film
The film is part of Wales wide activity which will draw attention to this issue in the run up to National Child Sexual Exploitation Awareness Day on March 18
In the film, Sam Warbuton says “As a father I know the importance of doing everything we can to protect children.
“The number of people in the UK using the internet to view sexual images of children has increased rapidly in recent years.”
Jonathan Davies emphasised, “It’s vital that anyone viewing or sharing indecent images of anyone under 18 knows it’s a crime – and a crime that causes real harm to the children in the pictures.”
Visit www.stopitnow.org.uk or call Stop it Now 0808 1000 900 with any concerns of this kind.
South Wales Police Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Drake, All-Wales police lead for child sexual exploitation said: “I’m delighted that the Welsh Rugby Union are once again working with us to help safeguard children and young people. Through Operation Net Safe the four Welsh police forces in partnership with other organisations, including the Lucy Faithfull Foundation, are tackling online child sexual abuse, supporting victims and bringing offenders to justice.”
WRU Policy and Integrity Manager Jeremy Rogers said, “More than 300 of our clubs now have Club Safeguarding Officers (CSOs) in volunteering roles, and they do a fantastic job by working in partnership with us to ensure that we respond effectively to any concerns. There are also regular safeguarding training events, and in April and May we will again be running accredited Safeguarding and Protecting Children Training for CSOs and Coaches across Wales.
“The key principle of safeguarding is working together, and we work closely with all our clubs and statutory agencies to ensure that safeguarding children is prioritised. The support of the WRU and other sports in Wales for the ‘STOP IT NOW’ campaign is an example of how we can work together effectively to raise awareness.”
The WRU Safeguarding Team can be contacted by calling 02920 822330 or advice can be obtained from the website via www.wru.wales/safeguarding
The NSPCC helpline for adults is 08088005000 and the Child line contact number for children and young people is 08001111.
