KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian policymakers need to act now before another athlete is sexually abused or harassed, bullied, racially discriminated or, worse, commits suicide, said Safe Sport Malaysia (SSM) secretary-general Christopher Raj.
He said many athletes are still afraid to come forward to report abuses, citing fear of compromising their identity and career.
“At the moment, only former athletes are coming out with their stories that happened 10 or 20 years ago,” he said.
“They kept quiet then because nothing could have been done without jeopardising their career.
“We do not have a proper channel for these victims to report,” he added.
Christopher cited a suicide case committed by the late track-and-field athlete Rabia Abdul Salam, whose name to this day still lingers amongst the Malaysian sports fraternity following her shocking death in 1994.
The 20-year-old was dubbed the future track queen of Asia for her remarkable achievements including winning a 4x400m gold medal in the 1993 Singapore SEA Games when she teamed up with R. Shanti, G. Shanti, and Josephine Mary.
“What happened to the late Rabia was really sad. To this day, nobody really knows what has transpired.
“I think if we were to pay closer attention to what she was going through, it could have been prevented,” said Christopher, who is also a Football Association of Malaysia exco member.
Christopher explained, however, that victims might not only be the athletes as these untoward incidences could also happen to coaches or any sports officials who are male or female.
As such, SSM was created in June to spread awareness about the importance of having a competitive yet safe and fair environment within the local sports scene if Malaysia were to dream of reaching a higher standard in sports.
The organisation has also been persistently advocating for the implementation of the Safe Sport Act.
I think by introducing the Safe Sport Act in Malaysia, we are preparing for future athletes 10, 15 years down the road.
“The act comes in various forms which cover verbal assault, power abuse, managing mental health and so on.
“It is not just sexual harassment, but also sexual abuse and misconduct that happened among athletes and coaches, including racial discrimination,” he added.
The most important first step to advance the Safe Sport Act is having its draft tabled for first reading in the Parliament, explained Christopher.
They have also been working closely with the caretaker youth and sports minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Faizal Azumu as well as youth and sports ministry secretary-general Datuk Jana Santhiran.
“Whether the act is passed in five or ten years, we want to get it moving first so we could provide an avenue for the victims to reach out to the Safe Sport centre where we can guide them through the process.
This is a long shot. But as long as we have ongoing support from the media and the community, if we can get it up and running within two or three years would be great.
“As long as the support continues, it is only a matter of time probably after the election, to make this happen and we move forward to the next stage of the Safe Sport Act,” he added. – The Vibes, November 2, 2022
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