Are male volunteers deterred by fear of being labelled as potential paedophiles?

Statement in response to research carried out by NCH and Chance UK which reports that 13% of men would be put off volunteering with children because of fears that they might be labelled as a potential paedophile.

Dr Justin Davis-Smith, Deputy Chief Executive of Volunteering England, said:

“Someone once said that women volunteer and men play sport, and behind the throwaway nature of this remark lies an uncomfortable truth which is picked up in this research.

Men of course do volunteer in large numbers - the national statistics suggest a fairly even split between the genders. But men and women volunteer in different areas with women predominating in children's and caring services and men more active in sport and committee work. There is a real need for men to volunteer where they can act as powerful role-models and mentors to children and young people. Part of the solution lies in promoting a more positive image of volunteering. But there is also a pressing need to approach risk management with a lighter touch and do all we can to avoid a situation as flagged up in the NCH/Chance UK research where men are put off volunteering because of the fear of being wrongly labelled and of having to fight their way through endless red-tape.”