ABSTRACT
In this chapter, recommendations are made to design and deliver children’s sport in ways that are free of violence. Specifically, sport based on athletes’ rights and developmental needs is proposed as the most effective way of eradicating gender-based violence from children’s sport. To realise the vision of rights-based sport for children, their holistic health, well-being and development, both in the moment and in the future, guides all decision-making, and the coach-athlete relationship is characterised as a partnership in which power is shared in age- and stage-appropriate ways. A rights-based sport environment is one where athletes are enabled to exercise autonomy and engage in decisions that affect them in developmentally appropriate ways. With such approaches, athletes are more likely to have safe, healthy sport experiences that contribute positively to their development. The implications of a rights-based approach to children’s sport, for policy, education, and research are outlined.
