Sports Organisations
Dail Éireann — 2026-01-20
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Robert O'Donoghue (LAB), Dublin Fingal West

The absence of robust safeguarding policies in many sports often comes to light by chance. However, even minimal scrutiny reveals that safeguarding is frequently treated as an afterthought for adults. It is only considered once something goes seriously wrong. When these situations arise, clubs are often ill-prepared to respond appropriately. Responsibility is often placed on ordinary volunteers and members, many of whom have no training or experience in dealing with domestic, sexual and gender-based violence, stalking or intimidation. They are left attempting to address policies retroactively rather than proactively. By that stage, damage has already been done, trust has been broken and the safety and well-being of club members may have been profoundly compromised.

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Record URI: https://data.oireachtas.ie/akn/ie/debateRecord/dail/2026-01-20/debate/main
Retrieved: 2026-08-14T04:54:31+00:00
Sitting date: 2026-01-20