Forca Goa Foundation grassroots coaches undergo child sexual abuse awareness training

The workshop was conducted by Arpan, a leading NGO that specialises in Personal Safety Education for young people and conducting awareness programs for Child Sexual Abuse.

The five-day intensive program started out by educating the coaches about child development and different stages of growth.

The course then guided them through understanding the difference between sex and gender and the different gender biases that are prevalent in society.

Through activities and demonstrations the coaches were made aware of what actually constitutes sexual abuse and how to understand and work with survivors of abuse. The coaches were also taken through the different bodies and laws constituted by the government to protect children rights.

They were also shown various films depicting child sexual abuse and the trauma that a child undergoes at the hands of his/her abuser. This was done so the coaches learnt to identify symptoms and behavioral patterns and report child sexual abuse.

Making the football pitch a safe space for all children is one of the foundation’s primary goals. Empowering coaches to be more empathetic to the children they work with, will go a long way in identifying and preventing sexual abuse. Jill Ferguson, Managing Director, Forca Goa Foundation said, “I am proud of how our coaches responded to the training. Child Sexual Abuse is an incredibly sensitive but important issue. It is a topic that is not often covered in basic education, making this training all the more important. This training provided our coaches with the tools they need to help us create a comprehensive Child Protection Policy and work with their communities in a way that ensures we are creating safe spaces for the kids we work with.”

The course ended with the coaches delivering mock awareness sessions to batches of 9 year olds, 14 year olds and parents / teachers. This was done so that the coaches are prepared to go out into the community and deliver these vital messages and spread awareness.

Forca Goa Foundation believes that our coaches are not just coaches but role models and leaders of our communities. In this regard, the foundation aims to keep building the capacity of the coaches so that they have the skills and confidence to develop the children into future leaders.