As Rwanda’s sports sector grows, there is need for sports organisations to develop anti-sexual harassment policies, officials say. Though no study has been done to shed light on the magnitude of the problem in the country, stakeholders believe that the sports industry is likely to suffer from sexual harassment and gender based violence, if no safeguards are put in place to protect people working in the sports industry. As noted, among other things, it is important to make clear what constitutes sexual harassment and sexual abuse, as well as the proper procedure when sexual harassment and sexual abuse –regarded as a silent vice – occur. “It is a problem because without these policies, various stakeholders in sports do not get enough guidance on how to treat each other with due respect, be it the coaches, managers or players. That can create an environment with high risk of abuse of power and harassment at various levels,” Jean Luc Cyusa, the President of United Generation (UGB) Basketball Club, a team competing in the Rwanda Basketball League (RBL), said. Such policies, he noted, would provide much needed clarity on what is expected from every member of a sports organisation, as well as the appropriate penalties for whoever violates the policy. The focus of such policies, according to Cyusa, should be on matters of promoting respect, acceptance of gender diversity, social inclusion, and zero tolerance to policy breaches. Felicite Rwemarika, a veteran sports administrator who founded the Organisation of Women in Sports, said that sexual harassment issues crop up in environments with many people such as it is in sports, and “having a policy in place is a good starting point for fighting them.” “When policies are there, people wake up. They realise that if they do this and that, there will be consequences,” she said. Rwemarika decried the fact that currently, many people don’t have enough information about their rights and, as a result, end up keeping quiet when they face sexual harassment and gender based violence. For her, an anti-sexual harassment policy should explain what sexual harassment is, inform people about their rights, indicate the reporting channels in case anything happens, and clarify how perpetrators are punished. Celestin Nzeyimana, the Secretary General at the African Paralympic Committee, reiterated the need for anti-sexual harassment policies in sports. He admitted that sexual harassment and gender-based violence “is very possible” because people always find themselves in continuous gatherings such as in training camps. “In addition, nowadays, some teams are coached by people of the opposite sex. As such, some guidelines are needed. It is important,” Nzeyimana added. Nzeyimana headed the Rwanda Paralympic Committee between 2013 and 2017. He noted that during his tenure, they did not have a specific anti-sexual harassment policy, and he would wonder what would happen if such cases arose. Most sports organisations have no internal rules with clear guidelines on preventing sexual harassment and abuse, Nzeyimana said, noting that such guidelines should be in place. The International Olympic Committee (IOC), a non-governmental sports organisation based in Lausanne, Switzerland, issued a Consensus Statement in February 2007 which reported that sexual harassment and abuse happen in all sports and at all levels. “Prevalence appears to be higher in elite sport. Members of the athlete’s entourage who are in positions of power and authority appear to be the primary perpetrators. Peer athletes have also been identified as perpetrators. Males are more often reported as perpetrators than females,” reads part of the IOC statement. “Research demonstrates that sexual harassment and abuse in sport seriously and negatively impact on athletes’ physical and psychological health. It can result in impaired performance and lead to athlete drop-out. Clinical data indicate that psychosomatic illnesses, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, self-harm and suicide are some of the serious health consequences.”
