KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 12 — Holding the perpetrator accountable in the slapping incident involving two Melaka Under-14 girls’ volleyball players in a tournament held in Johor last December is not enough, said Safe Sport Malaysia president Sarina Sundara Rajah.
Instead, she said the enablers must be held responsible too including the other coach who ‘looked the other way’ in a short video involving the incident that went viral earlier this year.
“We must look at the whole landscape — the players, coaches, administrators, and leaders who run the sport. In many cases, they know there is a problem but say and do nothing.
“Targeting only the perpetrator leaves enablers in positions of power, allowing future abuse to continue. If we deny that enablers are responsible for the victim’s abuse, we ignore a system of complicity perpetuating a cycle of abuse,” Sarina said in a statement today.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, in a press conference in Putrajaya earlier today, announced that the coaching licence of the Melaka Under-14 girls’ volleyball team coach has been revoked.
Yeoh said the National Sports Council and the Malaysian Volleyball Association (MAVA) have concluded an investigation into the incident, and unanimously decided that the coach should be disqualified from coaching.
Sarina, a former national gymnast, also cited the case in the United States of America (USA) whereby Larry Nassar used his position as an elite doctor with USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University to groom and sexually abuse more than 500 young girls and women over 20 years.
“The people and organisations who enabled him, including parents and officials, allowed the abuse to continue despite having legal, legitimate evidence of child abuse,” she said.
As such, the 1998 Commonwealth Games gold medallist said that under the proposed Safe Sports Act, it is mandatory to lodge a report when someone in sports may be experiencing abuse.
Sarina said this is due to the fact that mandated reporters are critical in preventing future harm to children and adults.
Previously, Yeoh had said that the implementation of the Safe Sport Code by all national sports associations (NSA) as announced by her predecessor Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu remains a priority of the ministry.
The code, which includes a code of conduct, will be used to handle complaints about sexual harassment at all levels, including sports training centres, before being replaced by the Safe Sports Act.
— Bernama
