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June 10, 2022
In a reported first of its kind in Spain, FC Barcelona has annouced a child protection system (CPS) for its Club and Foundation. The system is designed to prevent any type of violence against the 200,000 children and young people from the different areas in wich the Club – La Masia, the club’s youth academy, Barça Academies and amateur sports – and the Foundation operate.
The system includes a new protection policy encompassing the “prevention, monitoring and management of any type of violence: physical and verbal violence, sexual abuse, neglect and bullying, with the aim of promoting a space for zero tolerance, safe spaces and spaces for protection.”
The CPS was announced by the president of FC Barcelona and its Foundation, Joan Laporta, and the Secretary-General for Sports and Physical Activity of the Government of Catalonia, Anna Caula, at an event held last week. “Talking about issues such as physical or verbal aggression, bullying, neglect or, especially, sexual abuse has always been taboo subjects in our society. However, FC Barcelona… wants to improve the prevention of any type of violence against children and young people who take part in any Club or Foundation activity,” said Laporta.
“The Club has always protected its children – following the current regulations or going beyond them at certain times where it has been a pioneer – as in the case of the launch of La Masia, and we will also be a pioneer now with this ground-breaking protection system in our country”.
The scope of the system is the prevention of any type of violence and applies to all FC Barcelona groups in which children and teenagers participate:
- La Masia (550 minors): the Oriol Tort residence, training football and professional sections (football, basketball, handball, roller hockey and futsal).
- Barça Academy (24,000 minors): schools including the Barça Escola, Barça Academy New York, and Barça Academy Miami, as well as all camps and workshops organized by the Club. Additionally, alongside the partners of each of the Barça Academy schools around the world, the Club will ensure that a child protection system is implemented in each of the schools that guarantee the same objectives as the system.
- FC Barcelona Foundation (158,800 beneficiaries): Every child and teenager participating in the programs, both nationally and internationally.
- Amateur sports (800 minors): including roller skating, field hockey, volleyball, ice hockey, rugby and athletics.
- Other Club activities involve children and teenagers.
As UNICEF notes, all children have the right to participate in sport in a safe and enjoyable environment as enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. With the objective of guaranteeing the well-being of all the children and teenagers who take part in FC Barcelona’s programs, efforts have been made to ensure that all safe and protective spaces and environments are based on a focus on children’s rights and the best interests of each participant.
The CPS has been a culmination of a long term commitment by FC Barcelona. The 2017/18 season saw a deepening of the protection of children through the creation of the first risk policy in sports with minors, and the launching of specific annual training sessions for internal staff in this area. Over the last few seasons, the system has evolved while being implemented in different groups and projects and adapted to the various legislative innovations that have arisen in recent times.
The FC Club and Foundation Child Protection System was hailed by United Nations Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Dr. Najat Maalla M’ijd, who encouraged other institutions and sports clubs to implement similar systems. FC Barcelona intends for the system to be visible and transparent so that any person, company, entity or organization that wishes to participate in any Club or Foundation activity involving children and young people must conform to this child protection system.
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