As OFC’s focus on safeguarding has grown, so too has our longstanding partnership with Team Up to develop experience, capability and capacity to effectively implement safeguarding policies and protocols. In July, Vanuatu Football Federation’s Safeguarding and Wellbeing Officer Yannick Jimmy was a member of the first dedicated Safe Games Team on the ground at the Pacific Mini Games in Palau.

While football wasn’t contested at the Games, Yannick was still able to fly the flag for our sport by being part of the Safe Games Team in Palau, the first of its kind at a Pacific Games.

“For the first time, safeguarding was part of every level of the Pacific Games, with safeguarding officers in each country team and a dedicated five-member Safe Games Team on the ground,” explained Team Up Team Leader and former Papua New Guinea footballer Andrew Lepani.

“This included Yannick Jimmy who played a key role behind the scenes. He’s also studying the FIFA Guardians Safeguarding in Football Diploma, so this was a great chance for him to put that learning into action. Yannick’s now taking those lessons back to support the Just Play program in Vanuatu,” Lepani continued.

“It was a huge responsibility to uphold,” Yannick reflected.

The Safe Games Team worked closely with security, police force, counselling and medical teams so that, in the event of a case or issue being identified, “we could bring it to our manager and relevant authorities,” Yannick explains.

Maintaining a visible and approachable presence as the safeguarding team was a key part of ensuring a safe environment for athletes and officials to perform at their best.

“The first thing that we did was raise the awareness in each village where the teams were staying, we went around making the awareness for the safeguarding practices to make sure that there were no poor practices happening in the camp. And putting posters around the game venue, tracking  where most people were moving around.

“Throughout the Games, we were in each venue to make sure that nothing was raised as a concern. We’d also engage with many volunteers, staff, officers, or any spectators to get feedback or their point of view of what they observe or feel,” he adds.

“Just so we’d be aware of what someone might be noticing that could escalate to a bigger thing.”

One of the lessons Yannick came away with from the experience was the importance of having diversity of backgrounds and perspectives embedded in safeguarding teams and contact points who understand the perspectives that participants are coming from This, he explains, is vital in creating the right conditions for someone to be comfortable enough to report abuse or poor practices – particularly in environments like the Mini Games, where most of the athletes were under 20.

“We came from different environments, we came from different cultures, so it can really be a challenge for us. Because safeguarding, when it comes to us, we have cultures of respect. We have traditions of how we love each other and we care for each other,” he said.

“In some areas, you can see that it’s normal for Pacific Islanders. But it can escalate to another stage. For abuses, we can be friends or related, but then it can proceed on to maybe harassment.

“You can be exposed to another feeling. It’s very challenging because some things may be reported. For safeguarding, we always believe that most of the things cannot be reported. Some athletes or even parents will find it very hard to report or to raise his or her voice. If he or she experiences something from his or her coach or any officers. Because that’s how our cultures shape us: sometimes it is your relative, it is your boss, it is your superior. So then to report something done to you, it might be challenging for you,” Yannick explains.

He also noted the importance of both men and women taking on safeguarding roles.

“In some cases, or in some areas, the female may feel very scared to approach a male. Or in some cases, a female may find it easier to say something to a male. And that is why it’s important for both genders to be in the role, because of that environment that each an athlete can have that feeling that it’s easy to say something to them.”

Embedding multi-level safeguarding at the Pacific Mini Games was a huge success for Team Up, says Lepani.

“This initiative is a testament to our collective commitment to safeguarding in sports. It sends a strong message to all stakeholders that we need to work as a team to create a supportive and enabling environment, so people feel safe and comfortable to report incidents.

“We thank the Oceania Football Confederation for supporting Yannick’s involvement. This follows on from our close collaboration at the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup where Palu Uhatahi and Michelle Paiti, both also from OFC, provided vital safeguarding support.”

Photo credit: Supplied, Team Up, ONOC

Safeguarding is everyone’s responsibility. If you see something, say something. If you have a safeguarding concern, please email [email protected]