Vaibhav Suryavanshi will get his own roomImage Credit source: PTI
The news of arranging a separate changing room for 15-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi during the England tour has created a lot of discussion in India. At first glance it may seem like a special facility or VIP treatment being given to a young player, but the real story is completely different from this. This decision is actually part of Britain’s own child protection rules. Along with this, there is a provision under child safeguarding rules to ensure the safety and privacy of minor players. Let us talk about these rules in this news. Let us try to understand in detail what this rule is.
In the last two decades, there has been a big change in the thinking regarding the safety of players in the world of sports. Especially in countries like Europe, America and Australia, sports organizations have implemented different rules and arrangements for children and teenagers i.e. players under 18. These include separate changing rooms, separate travel arrangements, the presence of parents or guardians and special guidelines for staff working with players.
The rule has been in place in the UK for a long time
This system has been in force in Britain for a long time. There, players under the age of 16 or 18 are provided different facilities from adult players in many circumstances. Its objective is to protect young players from any kind of uncomfortable environment, mental pressure or possible exploitation. For this reason, Vaibhav Suryavanshi will be provided a separate changing room from the rest of the players of the Indian team.
According to the report of Hindustan Times, initially this step was attributed to the rules of the International Cricket Council (ICC), but later analysis made it clear that the legal basis of these rules rests entirely on the UK’s domestic child protection law. Since the series between India and England is a bilateral series and is not an official ICC tournament, the ICC does not have direct legal jurisdiction over this series nor do they have any specific protocols for under-16 cricketers. Overall, the meaning of HT’s report is that Vaibhav has got the facility of a separate room as per the rules of Britain.
UK Safe Hands Policy
This entire matter comes under the ‘Safe Hands’ policy of the ECB and the strict legal regulations of the United Kingdom. The ECB’s ‘Safe Hands’ policy is designed to ensure a safe, fear-free and exploitation-free playing environment for children. There are some important things in this, which the board asks to strictly follow.
1. Keeping the changing room separate- Any player under the age of 16 is strictly prohibited from sharing a changing room or shower with a senior. If for some reason players under 18 have to share a bathroom with a senior, a strict safety plan is in place to ensure that they do not change clothes or bathe there at the same time.
2. Ban on digital devices- As per ECB guidelines, the use of mobile phones, tablets or any recording device inside the changing rooms is strictly prohibited. This has been done so that the pictures or videos inside the changing room are not circulated on social media even unknowingly, which poses a serious risk of violating the privacy of minor players.
3. ‘Two-person’ rule for coaches- No senior or coach is allowed to enter the changing room of minor players alone. In any emergency situation, it is mandatory for at least two seniors to be together, so that any possible misbehavior can be prevented.
To support Vaibhav Suryavanshi, BCCI has broken its normal protocol and allowed his father Sanjeev Suryavanshi to travel with the team throughout the tour and stay in the same hotel. On similar lines, Cricket Ireland has also given three separate rooms in the pavilion to the Indian team for the two matches to be held in Belfast so that UK laws can be followed. .
This system is already implemented in cricket
Talking of legal matters, now let us take you to the most important issue that in which sports this is followed. According to him, this system is not new in cricket. Special safeguarding protocols are already in place for under-18 players in the domestic cricket setup of England and Australia. Many club and county teams decide that minor players should not share the dressing room with senior players. If a young player plays or trains with the senior team, a separate changing area and extra monitoring is arranged for him.
There are rules in football too
This is not limited to just cricket. Such rules have been in force in football also for a long time. In many big clubs of England, when the academy players train with the first team, separate changing areas or separate arrangements are made for them. In recent years, the emphasis on such rules has also increased in cases of players entering professional football at a young age. Sports organizations believe that along with promoting talent, it is equally important to ensure its safety.
Rules were different during Sachin’s time
This discussion is happening more in India because Indian sports culture has been different for a long time. Here junior players often share the dressing room with senior players. There are many examples in the history of Indian cricket, when very young players started playing directly with the senior team, but at that time there were no formal rules like today regarding the safety of minor players and child safeguarding. The biggest example of this is Sachin Tendulkar. When he became a part of the Indian team at the age of 16, the protocols related to players’ safety and privacy were quite different from what they are today. The professional structure of sports has changed around the world over the past three decades and player safety is now considered as important as performance.
Also read- Vaibhav Suryavanshi will get a special room to change clothes, will remain separate from Team India, know the reason
