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Susan Wood When you take your children to the
local pool the hardest part is often getting them out of the water and
dressed. When they're younger it's often easier just to dry them and whip
their gear off by the side of the pool.
That's not a problem is it?
Some pools seem to think that toddler nudity is a problem and for
their own protection parents are being warned not to expose their youngsters
in public. Who knows who may be watching or photographing or videoing. So are how our pool people paranoid or
protecting the public? In a moment
the Recreation Association. First this from Jenny Harper
It's a place for fun, family and
wholesome entertainment. A perfect place to soak away those winter blues. But
Amanda Crozier has been told her community pool is also a place where
perverts may be lurking. In 2006 it seems the public pool is not the place to
be seen in your birthday suit, even when you've only been wearing it for 16
months.
I was in the middle of dressing
her when a lifeguard came up to me and said "I'm sorry but you cannot
change your daughter here. I just looked very puzzled at her and she then
issued me a notice saying that "It is now our policy that everybody must
be changed in the changing rooms.
Were your other children swimming
at the time?
They were and I was keeping an eye
on them throughout this whole process.
It all happened here at the
Kaiapoi Aquatic Centre. It's a Council owned facility. Today they say there
is no ban on child nudity and the message to this Mum was meant as a warning
about the risks.
One is to protect the poolside
from a hygiene point of view and the other is personal safety for the parents
and the children so they are not being filmed by anyone around the poolside
Amanda and Ophelia, togs or no
togs were welcome to Christchurch Centennial Pool today where the undress
code is not as strict
That happens all the time and
while we wouldn't encourage it it's the parent's choice as to how they get
their child changed.
At pools around the country today
the topic of child nudity was the talk of the tiles:
It's gone wrong. Totally. The
world's a sad place if you have to start thinking like that.
She's three and a half. And I'm
not going to go into the changing room when everythings sort of here. And particularly
if you've got other kids swimming in the pool, you can't leave.
At this Auckland pool caregivers
are welcome to change their pre-schoolers poolside. The manager says there
has never been a problem
Well they saying that pedophiles
can be sitting behind you in the movie theatre and you wouldn’t know. In a
swimming pool environment with lifeguards and other staff, swimming
instructors, anybody who looks out of place is immediately asked what they
are here for, the purpose of their visit. They are constantly under
supervision. so the likelihood or chances of anything untoward happening is
very very slight.
John Filsill from the NZ
Recreation Association. A very good evening to you. Now I know that this is
now a topic on the agenda of your national conference. Honestly haven't you
got more important things to talk about?
Well good evening Susan. It does seem to be a topical issue and it's
an issue the industry, particularly after the recent exposure will want a say
on
But I mean theres a million more
important things around our kids, pool safety being one of them
Yes, Customer Service is also a
very important issue in our business. This is probably a customer service
issue more than anything else.
Isn't taking the right off people
...I mean you know what it is like ....you've got a couple of kids, you've
got one in the pool you've got one there ....
you just kind of dress them and things ....isn't taking that right
away from parents not doing much for your customer service?
I think your video clips before
have shown a variety of approaches. Some swimming pools use their discretion
and allow this. Some swimming pools don't. It will be a question for the
industry to get together to see whether national guidelines are appropriate.
If we think they are, we'll formulate some and put them out as quickly as
possible.
So you will be putting a
recommendation. Some sort of national guideline. Another sort of a rule we all have to obey?
I didn't say that . I said we'd
get together and determine whether we should take that course of action. From
what I'm hearing from you, perhaps not.
I'm playing devil's advocate It's my job to take the other side. A lot
of people are saying today: PC gone completely mad.
Susan, I think theres a time and a
place for everything. You've seen a
variety of approaches. At the moment it's up to the particular facility based
on it's layout; Based on it's clientele; Based on the opinions of other
customers to make some rules and enforce them. Each to his own at the moment or each to
her own. And if that approach needs to
change we'll certainly be at the forefront of that.
All right. John Fillsill. Good luck. Thanks for your time this
evening. |
