Answer: Coaches, staff, volunteers, and officials are in a good position to help prevent child sexual abuse in their sporting organizations because they can closely observe the athletes behavior.
Explanation:
Many children who are being sexually abused may not confide in family members or a trusted friend for fear of what may happen to them or fear of not being believed. The coaches, volunteers and others who are around the child on a daily basis for long periods may be able to see signs of sexual abuse. They may also notice the behavior of the child change. A once-happy outgoing child may become withdrawn and not doing things that they had before. Grades may be dropping and the child may have visible bruising, etc. They may also be able to gain enough trust to get the child to tell them what is going on. Many times the sexual abuse is done by a family member, and this will make the child afraid to return home. The coaches and other officials will be able to contact someone for help for the child. Children of any age should always speak to a trusted adult about what is happening with any type of abuse sexual, verbal, or physical.
