Drowning and water safety
Drowning is the second leading cause of injury death to children in Europe. Whether they occur at home, or on vacation, drowning happens very quickly. Learn here who is at risk and how you can prevent it.
Including tips on boating, water sports from snorkeling to SCUBA diving, child-friendly pools and garden ponds, swimming lessons and smart vacation planning, The European Child Safety Alliance offers the following information to help you keep children safe by the water.
Protecting children and youths in water recreation
Developed with the support of the European Commission and in collaboration with professional water recreation associations and injury prevention experts across Europe, these guidelines provide facts on injuries and hazards, and outline specific safety recommendations for 13 common water settings. The guidelines help those in the tourism and water recreation industries tailor their services for both fun and safety.
- Protecting children and youths in water recreation (En) (PDF 1.9mb)
- Protecting children and youths in water recreation (Es) (PDF 5.8mb)
Drowning and Water Safety Factsheets
- Factsheet: Drowning (PDF 247kb)
- Factsheet: Tourism and water related injuries (PDF 148kb)
- Factsheet: Alcohol, boating and water recreation (PDF 118kb)
- Tipsheet: Drowning (PDF 231kb)
Be Water Wise
Be Water Wise is a water safety and drowning prevention campaign of the European Child Safety Alliance in partnership with Johnson & Johnson - Europe, Middle East and Africa.
Water Wise resources for parents, caregivers and health care professionals
- Water Wise facts (PDF 475kb) - Facts on childhood drowning
- Water Wise safety tips (PDF 451kb) - Water safety and drowning prevention tips for parents and caregivers
- Water Wise vacation planning (PDF 296kb) - Questions to ask when choosing a holiday location
- Water Wise vacation checklist (PDF 513kb) - Actions to take upon arrival at your holiday location
- Water Wise recreation (PDF 413kb) - Children, water sports and boating
- Water Wise doctor's advice (PDF 1.8mb) - A short list of key drowning prevention factors
- Water Wise poster (PDF 6.8mb) - Listing the key campaign messages and water safety rules
- Water Wise ads (PDF 120kb) - A series of water safety ads
- Water Wise TV spot (MPG 3.3mb) - Highlighting the importance of drowning prevention
Current EU national level policy on water safety / drowning prevention
Further charts are available in the Child Safety Report Card 2012: Europe Summary for 31 Countries (PDF 9mb).
Good practices for prevention: proven effective prevention measures
This chart is taken from the Child Safety Good Practice Guide.
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