Code of Conduct

CODE OF CONDUCT

TTV Amsterdam

TTV Amsterdam considers a safe physical and social environment important for its youth members and volunteers or trainers. One of the aids in this is the use of a code of conduct. This states what is and is not desired in the dealings between volunteers and trainers, and youth members.

As an association, we have drawn up a code of conduct for all our volunteers and trainers. This applies to all members. Trainers who are not members must also subscribe to the code of conduct before they can be appointed. The code of conduct is a supplement to the Criminal Code, which sets out what legal boundaries are when dealing with minors.

Code of Conduct

  1. The volunteer or trainer provides an environment and an atmosphere in which the youth member feels safe and respected
  2. The volunteer or trainer treats a youth member in such a way that his / her dignity is not affected
  3. The volunteer or trainer does not penetrate further into the private life of the youth member than is functionally necessary.
  4. The volunteer or trainer refrains from any form of sexual approach and abuse towards the youth member. All sexual acts, contacts and relationships between a volunteer or trainer and a youth member up to 18 years of age are under no circumstances permitted and are considered sexual abuse.
  5. The volunteer or trainer does not touch the youth member in such a way that it is reasonable to expect that this touch will be experienced as sexual or erotic in nature.
  6. During activities, the volunteer or trainer treats youth members and the areas in which they are present with respect, such as changing rooms, showers, etc.
  7. The volunteer or trainer avoids one-on-one contact with a youth member.
  8. The volunteer or trainer protects the youth member to the best of his ability against forms of unequal treatment and sexual abuse and actively ensures that the code of conduct is observed by everyone involved with the youth member.
  9. If the volunteer or trainer identifies behavior that is not in accordance with this code of conduct and when suspected of sexual abuse, he is obliged to report this to the board or the confidential contact person of TTV Amsterdam.
  10. The volunteer or trainer does not receive or give any material or immaterial compensation that is not reasonable.
  11. In those cases where the code of conduct does not (directly) provide, or in case of doubt about the admissibility of certain behavior, the volunteer or trainer will act in the spirit of the code of conduct and, if necessary, will contact a member of the board or the confidential contact person of TTV Amsterdam.

Explanation of the code of conduct

This code of conduct refers to volunteer, trainer and youth member. In the code of conduct, volunteer is understood to mean anyone who performs certain tasks within TTV Amsterdam for a long-term or temporary, formally or informally, at the request of the board or a trainer, or as a board member. In the code of conduct, trainer is understood to mean everyone who has been appointed by the board to provide table tennis training to members of TTV Amsterdam. Youth members are minor persons who are included as members in the membership records of TTV Amsterdam.

  1. The volunteer or trainer provides an environment and an atmosphere in which the youth member feels safe and respected. The child must be respected. No distinction or emphasis should be made on religion, belief, political affiliation, race, gender, nationality, sexual orientation, cultural background, age or physical characteristics. This means that the child must feel safe during the activities of the association as well as outside it and must have the feeling that he can literally and figuratively move freely.
  2. The volunteer or trainer treats a youth member in such a way that his / her dignity is not affected. This means that a child / young person is never treated in a way that affects his or her dignity. Volunteers or trainers refrain from discriminating, disparaging or (sexually) intimidating comments and behavior. This applies during the activities, but also outside, during all activities organized by or on behalf of the association.
  3. The volunteer or trainer does not penetrate further into the private life of the youth member than is functionally necessary. In the voluntary work and sports world it often happens that children are also known from social contacts. But the volunteer or trainer is always responsible within the association. Within the association it is not about friendship or other social relationship, but about the relationship volunteer / trainer – youth member. It is important that the volunteer or trainer is aware of his position, which can also continue outside the association. The point is that the volunteer or trainer keeps an appropriate distance and does not penetrate further into the private life of the youth member than is necessary for the jointly stated goal (activity) of the association. For example: asking unnecessary questions about private life, making personal dates, contacting the child outside of the activities of the association, inviting youth members at home (in a one-to-one situation), including for chores such as babysitting, and so on.
  4. The volunteer or trainer refrains from any form of sexual approach and abuse towards the youth member. All sexual acts, contacts and relationships between volunteer / trainer and youth member up to the age of 18 are not permitted under any circumstances and are considered sexual abuse. The volunteer or trainer should never use their position and relationship for purposes of their own benefit that conflict with their responsibility or that go beyond the boundaries of the relationship. This could include:
    • create a sexually / erotically charged atmosphere;
    • sexual comments and innuendo, such as foul language or dirty jokes;
    • Asking questions about sex, for example about masturbation, frequency and forms of sex;
    • viewing and touching the youth member in a non-functional manner with the eyes or hands focused on the sex characteristics;
    • satisfaction of one’s own sexual desires.
    • all sexual acts and relationships between volunteers / trainers and youth members up to the age of 18, or with someone with developmental delay, are inadmissible and punishable under Article 249 of the Criminal Code.
  5. The volunteer or trainer does not touch the youth member in such a way that it is reasonable to expect that this touch will be experienced as sexual or erotic in nature. See point 4.
  6. During activities, the volunteer or trainer treats youth members and the areas in which they are present with respect, such as changing rooms, showers, etc. With respect in this order means, for example, that:
    • the volunteer and the youth member should preferably not travel in pairs, but with, for example, an extra volunteer or several youth members;
    • the volunteer and the youth member do not sleep in one room in a one-to-one situation; there are at least two volunteers / trainers on a group of children;
    • treating the spaces in which the children are with respect means that the youth member must feel safe there, his privacy is guaranteed and social control is possible;
    • conversations with the youth member are held in a neutral room (not in the changing room).

This code of conduct was adopted on October 7, 2020 by the board of the Amsterdam Table Tennis Association.