NOCSL launches first ever Sexual Harassment and Abuse Policy

L-R: Ajith Thamel, Anoma Rathnayake, Chanaka Hasantha and S. R Pathiravithana

Back in 2000, when Sri Lanka’s Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe publicly accused a Cabinet Minister of wanting to have sex with her, her complaints fell on deaf ears. 19 years later, the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka’s (NOCSL) Women’s Committee has established a Sexual Harassment and Abuse Policy for the first time in the history of sports in the country. The Committee comprise of Chairperson Niloo Jayatilake, Secretary Ajith Thamel, Anoma Rathnayake, Chanaka Hasantha and S. R Pathiravithana. The mechanism comes at a time when sexual harassment and abuse have become topics which are being openly addressed.  

As such the Policy has been established to develop a culture of dignity and safety in sports, to promote and protect the health of athletes by creating a safe and respectful sports environment and to protect the rights and well-being of all athletes, coaches and administrative officials etc. to optimize their performances. 

Speaking to the Daily Mirror, NOCSL Women’s Committee Chairperson Niloo Jayatilake said that the Policy was formulated within the last one year and the legal draft was put in place. “We are excited about the whole initiative and our sports body will be the first in Sri Lanka to address this. As a first step we will educate all current and future sports people that this kind of policy is there for them as a covenant. Setting this Policy itself is a huge achievement for NOCSL and we will be following the ideologies of the Olympic Charter as we are advocating bringing about clean sports. Since there’s no such Policy, people think they could do whatever they want since there were no ramifications.”  

The international sports arena is already bringing in education and policies to address sexual harassment and abuse. Therefore, Sri Lanka too is heading in the right direction as NOCSL under the purview of its President Suresh Subramaniam has begun to advocate for change within the sports industry. To make it a success, all sports federations that come under the NOCSL which is the apex body, should be informed first.

“The first step is to educate them on sexual harassment and abuse because some people might not be aware that they are actually harassing the sports people,” she continued. “This will be done through conferences and education seminars. In future we want to invite foreign resource persons as well. Moving forward, one of our biggest initiatives will be raising awareness which will be done islandwide at school, national and international level. Therefore by participating in international events, the managers and other people will be made aware that this kind of policy is there.”  

Adding in his comments NOCSL Secretary General Maxwell De Silva said that only a few people talk about sexual harassment and abuse. “So we need to change it. I’m very happy that this idea has come about. It’s very difficult for any athlete to come forward and relate their story. So we need to build a mechanism where their identities are withheld. Females too are not attempting to make a big noise. This has to start from schools. But on the other side, males too are facing harassment and that too needs to be addressed. We can’t expect for change overnight but we need to create an environment where their rights are protected.”  

Chairperson of the Committee Niloo Jayatilake 

As a result of harassment and abuse, many athletes go through depression and mental trauma. Basically they had no place to tell their grievances, even if they did tell, there was no mechanism to address these issues. If there’s a complaint, there will be a mechanism in which the complainant could send it through. In order to investigate on the cases, a separate complaints committee will be set up. Committee members include Dillai Joseph, Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala, Caryll Tozer, Nedra Wickramasinghe, Dr. Nihal De Silva, Sharanya Sekaram, Sabrina Esufally, Preethi Adihetti and Shyamala Gomes who have volunteered to serve on the complaints committee. Most of them have been addressing on sexual harassment and abuse while others have a background in sports. Once they study the case after talking to the complainant and the accused, they will build up the case to be sent to the hearing committee.

This committee will comprise of NOCSL Secretary General, a retired police officer and an elected representative from the national federation that the case has come from. They will then decide on a penalty depending on the gravity of the situation. Different cases will have varied penalties and the relevant federation has to decide on it. In future the NOCSL website will include the process in which a complaint could be sent in.  

Niloo further said that sometimes the athlete would be scared but there could be some observer who can trigger it off. “So there won’t be a manager who will represent Asian Games after being charged for sexual harassment by athletes. In fact, they will not be accredited to go as a manager or coach. Those kinds of situations will not be tolerated. We need to safeguard our national assets and for that we need to create an environment. We shouldn’t allow an athlete to go astray.”  

As such NOCSL invites all sports federations to join hands in this mission and advocate for clean sports in the country.  

Pic by Damith Wickramasinghe