The topic of sexual abuse in sports has gained attention in media, political spheres and even in judicial arena. There have been multiple cases of sexual abuses reported each year accelerating different reactions of major stake holders. Sexual abuse has been evident in professional sports activities across the world with many of the cases giving judges a hard time in making decisions because of the influence from the masses and various parties of interest. From studies that have been conducted by multiple sources, it has been discovered that the male athletes have high chances of victimizing their female counter parts. Most of the casualties range from high school level to college level with some cases of child abuse in sports context reported occasionally (Ladika 97).
Popular athletes have also on many occasions been accused of this vice and there have been growing anxiety on what ought to be done to eliminate this social evil. It is important to note that professional athletes have a staunch followers who would not like the reputation of their sports star to be tampered. This might be one of the reasons why in the recent times, we have had no major sports athlete locked behind the bars for sexual abuse. Anyway, we have had some who have been penalized heavily, but does money really matter to them? They can buy a whole state and paying a fine $1 million is like buying a breakfast at one of the prestigious restaurants. The question of justice is also a concern in this case (Atkinson 23).
The main questions that ought to be asked is; who are the main perpetrators in sexual abuse in sports? Who are the main casualties? How and where do this vices occur? From studies conducted by sports researchers, it has been established that young kids under the age of 10 years have also been victimized in many cases. The have been a discovery that the major perpetrators are coaches child abuse cases. The reported cases have been few but there is a speculation that there are more cases that have gone unreported because the coaches have noted to befriend the casualties in order to hide the secret from being exposed. This is in exhangee of gifts and fair treatment at the places of training. The major cause of child sexual abuse in the bonding that exist between a coach who may possibly be a man and a trainee who may be a female child. When the bonding line is crossed, it leads to abuses. The other major perpetrators are senior players. In training grounds, we may have different age brackets of players and there is a likelihood of senior players mistreating the young players that is why we have rape cases.
Different policies can be implemented strategically to deal with this cases of sexual abuse in sports. There should various considerations at the same time so as to ensure the policies implemented do not backfire. There should be consideration to ensure that coaches and administrators are vetted thoroughly so that they can meet the required standards to fit in their job category. There should also be training that should be organized by stake holders to ensure that both coaches and players are updated on current matters. Young players should be monitored closely and even be exposed to peer counselors so that they are not tortured by the secrets that they have. Strict penalties should also be imposed to those found guilty regardless of their status so that this may serve as a lesson to others. With these guidelines, sexual abuse will be reduce
References
Atkinson, M. (2010). Battleground sports. Westport, Conn: Greenwood Press.
Ladika, S., & CQ Press. (2017). Sports and sexual assault: Can colleges and pro leagues curb abuse by athletes?