AoS research advances use of sport for youth crime prevention in South East Asia
The Alliance of Sport has produced a second report for the Thailand Institute of Justice (TIJ) which will be a key component in advancing the use of sport as a positive force in combating youth crime and violence across South East Asia.
The TIJ commissioned AoS to carry out in-depth research into 18 organisations in eight countries across the ASEAN region. We compiled our research into a draft report, entitled, ‘How Sport is being used to prevent youth crime and build a more resilient ASEAN.’
The report will help by demonstrating good practice in the region and will underpin the development of the TIJ’s ‘Integrating Sports into Youth Crime Prevention and Building Resilience in Societies’ initiative, which aligns with priority area one of the ASEAN Work Plan on Sports 2021-2025.
The objectives of the initiative are:
- to raise awareness and enhance collaboration with stakeholders across sectors in the region to advance the integration of sports into cross-cutting crime prevention and criminal justice strategies
- to encourage sharing of information and good practices among stakeholders in ASEAN region
Our report also identifies a range of opportunities designed to strengthen the connection between policy and practice, enhance cross-sector and cross-pillar partnerships, and ultimately advance the use of sport to prevent youth crime and build more resilient communities.
The final report will be published later this year. In anticipation of this, its findings were shared at a key ASEAN meeting of senior sports officials last week and a side event. Feedback was positive.
Kittipoom Neamhom, Director of the TIJ’s Office of External Relations and Policy Coordination, said: “The events proved to be a resounding success, opening doors for future collaboration and opportunities for our work.
The ASEAN meeting of senior sports officials and side event saw attendees from the likes of FIFA and UNESCO, all showing a keen interest in the ‘Integrating Sports into Youth Crime Prevention and Building Resilience in Societies’ initiative.
The ASEAN Secretariat mentioned the success of the side event in its press release and the 7th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting on Sports included the event in its joint statement, highlighting the impact the initiative is making across the region.
Neamhom added: “With the increased visibility and positive reception of our work, I believe that the doors are wide open for us to explore further opportunities in the realm of using sports for crime prevention in the ASEAN region.”
James Mapstone, Chief Executive and Co-Founder of the Alliance of Sport in Criminal Justice, added: “We are delighted to make a key contribution to the wider appreciation across ASEAN of the potential that sport and physical activity have in reducing youth crime and violence.
“We look forward to the publication of the full report later this year and to supporting any next steps in sharing learning, forging partnerships and having a positive impact.”