Australia unveils new child safety guidelines after US abuse scandal

Gymnastics Australia (GA) on Tuesday unveiled new child safety guidelines and appointed its first coordinator to educate those involved in the sport about appropriate behavior, in the wake of the US abuse scandal.

The governing body said that, with 91 percent of the sport’s more than 220,000 athletes aged under 12, “child safety is the highest priority.”

GA chief Kitty Chiller told national broadcaster ABC the new National Child Safety Commitment Statement would be added to existing guidelines.

“What we are doing now is formalizing practices that have already been in place,” Chiller said, adding that the sport did not have ongoing issues with child abuse.

“This is obviously very much in the media and the public space – it’s had a lot more exposure in the last recent months because of the Larry Nassar case.”

A once highly regarded US gymnastics national team doctor, Nassar was accused of abusing more than 260 athletes over two decades and was sentenced to up to 175 years in prison in January.

The commitment statement pledges that national, state and territory bodies will take a “zero tolerance approach” to any child abuse.

It promises to go beyond policies and procedures to create a “culture of safety” that allows all members to feel comfortable when reporting inappropriate behavior.

The new child safety coordinator Phoebe Pownall, who will also serve in a similar role for the state body Gymnastics Victoria, said part of her job will be to educate clubs, coaches, parents and gymnasts about what constitutes abuse.

“I don’t think people in the community are really aware of what abuse is. We tend to think it is on the margins of society. It is not,” Pownall told The Australian newspaper on Tuesday.

“It is prevalent everywhere. It is about teaching people that it is a risk and empowering them to make a change and make it safe for kids.”

A royal commission established in 2012 by Canberra to investigate institutional child sex abuse said in its final report released last year that more than 4,000 institutions were accused of abuse.

The findings said 408 survivors reported child sex abuse in sport and recreation settings, with 344 sport and recreation institutions across the nation identified by the victims.