Confidential Report

SJJIF Safeguarding
A Statement of Commitment

Sport Jiu-Jitsu is built on trust.
The trust a student places in a professor when they step onto the mat. The trust a parent places in an academy when they enroll a child. The trust a community places in a Federation when it sanctions competitions, validates belts, and credentials its professionals.
That trust is sacred. And it is fragile.
Sport — every sport, in every country — has too often carried within it environments where abuse, harassment, and misconduct could take root unchallenged. Where reports went unheard. Where reputations mattered more than victims. Where silence was the rule and speaking up was the risk.
The SJJIF refuses to be that kind of Federation.

What we are publishing
Today we publish the SJJIF Athlete Safeguarding Policy and Protection Framework — a binding 100-page document that codifies, for the first time in this Federation's history, the protections every athlete in our community is owed.
It is the longest, most detailed governance document this Federation has ever produced. We believe it is also the most important.

What this Policy guarantees
Every practitioner — minor or adult, professional or amateur, champion or beginner — has the right to train, compete, and grow in an environment free from abuse, harassment, and fear. The Policy makes that right enforceable. It defines what constitutes abuse, harassment, and misconduct in unambiguous terms. It establishes the Two-Adult Rule for minor athletes. It mandates background checks for every credentialed coach, official, and volunteer. It opens three reporting channels — including anonymous reporting — and protects whistleblowers from retaliation. It sets out clear investigative procedures with the right of appeal. It requires annual education for everyone in a position of trust. And it imposes real consequences, ranging from documented warnings to permanent banishment.

Why a platform, not just a document
A policy that lives only in a PDF is a policy that fails.
We have built around this document a complete operational framework: a Safeguarding Officer present at every SJJIF-sanctioned event, an online reporting portal accessible from anywhere in the world, a dedicated email channel monitored within 24 hours, a multilingual education program required of all credentialed personnel, and a public commitment to transparency in how every concern is handled.
The Policy is the constitution. The reporting system is the emergency line. The education program is long-term.

Our five promises

• We will listen.** Every concern is met with respect and taken seriously, however it reaches us.

• We will protect.** Athlete safety — especially of minors — comes before reputation, ranking, or convenience.

• We will act.** Promptly, fairly, and in confidence, with credible findings carrying real consequences.

• We will educate.** Coaches, officials, athletes, and parents — taught to recognize, prevent, and respond.

• We will collaborate.** Openly with affiliated Federations, law enforcement, and recognized safeguarding bodies worldwide.

To everyone in the community

• If you are an athlete: you have rights here, and we will defend them.

• If you are a parent: your child's safety comes before our reputation, our rankings, or our results.

• If you are a coach or official: this Policy is yours to know, to live by, and to enforce.

• If something feels wrong: tell someone. Tell us.

• You will be heard. You will be protected from retaliation.

Sport Jiu-Jitsu International Federation
Athlete Safeguarding Policy and Protection Framework — Version 1.0 · 2026
[Read the full Policy](sjjif.com) · [Report a concern](sjjif.com) · safeguarding@sjjif.com