As the curtains of Agnes Tirop Conference in Diani, Kwale County slowly came down, it was evident that sports stakeholders had had enough of gender-based violence against athletes especially the female personnel.
The motto “Silence no more” was the key message, a sign of a new beginning in the sports ecosystem in terms of the welfare of its women athletes.
The murder of 2015 World Cross Country champion Agnes Tirop opened a pandora's box of how vulnerable sportspersons are to GBV.
Athletes have been viewed as “extraordinary” celebrities and the thought of them facing GBV had never crossed many Kenyans' minds.
And that is why the news of Tirop’s murder, allegedly by her husband, came as a shocker not only to the sports fraternity but also to Kenyans and the world at large.
Tirop, 25, was found stabbed in her home in Iten on October 13 last year at a time when her star was starting to shine brighter.
According to two-time world marathon champion Catherine Ndereba, Tirop had been in an abusive relationship and despite numerous reports to the police, her complaints were reduced to “domestic troubles”, which could be resolved at home.
Her colleagues claimed she had previously expressed fears for her life and had sought refuge in a training camp for a few days before going back to her house where she met her death.
This awakened the Sports Committee on Gender Welfare and Equity which had been appointed a few months earlier before Tirop’s death.
According to Ndereba, the committee’s chair, the champion’s death brought to the limelight what athletes have been undergoing in silence and proved how grievous the situation is.
The committee then entered the murky waters of unravelling what is ailing the industry.
“Some revelations from our female athletes during the interviews and plenary sessions were heart-wrenching. In some scenarios, I could not hold my tears,” she said.
The committee discovered all forms of GBV, including sexual exploitation, physical and emotional abuses, intimidation and manipulation, which are being committed by coaches, team officials and even teammates.
Ndereba said exploitation of sportswomen has been tolerated and normalized by the key players.
Although she has never experienced any form of violence in her career, the five-time Boston Marathon champion said her peers had had it rough in finding their feet in the industry.
“Some female athletes have been forced to sleep with their coaches to be included in national teams which participate in international competitions,” she said.
Many of those who have refused to provide these sexual favours have consequently been locked out from opportunities to excel.
The challenges
A report launched during the conference reveals 60 per cent of female athletes had experienced one or more forms of GBV.
It reveals that 15 per cent of female athletes were sexually abused while 24 percent were emotionally abused and insulted whereas the rest experienced other forms of violence.
The worrying trend is the fact that 57 per cent of the respondents admitted that the abuse had happened more than 10 times.
According to Gerry Kweya, a member of the Ndereba-led committee, the abuses majorly occur during international trips especially at the changing rooms and at the restaurants and bars.
The report paints a picture of how and where the abuses start from with training camps cited as the breeding grounds for sexual exploitation and physical abuse of female athletes.
In most female athletes' training camps, 76 per cent of the managers and officials are male while women are only 24 per cent.
“The abuses in training camps are fuelled by the fact that these girls were handed over to the coaches by their own parents. These girls do not have anywhere to turn to,” Kweya said.
This leaves female athletes, most of who are young and inexperienced, at the mercy of their coaches, older teammates and managers some of who take advantage of them sexually.
The elephant in the room was the fact that the majority of the victims never talk or report these incidents.
Forty-three per cent of the victims indicate they persevere in silence, 29 per cent think it is not important while 14 per cent say they talk about it but no action is taken.
Kweya believes this normalisation of the practice by stakeholders, including victims and their teammates gives the vice an opportunity to flourish.
Work-life imbalance
The committee further establishes that many sportspersons struggle to balance their family responsibilities with their sports careers.
Unequal payment, culture, lack of sponsorship and funds as well as lack of equal opportunities are also impediments to the success of female athletes in their fields
Kweya reveals an interview with 486 sportswomen most of who cited lack of education, poverty and inexperience, unequal opportunities as the causal factors for GBV among their gender.
Kweya said all these abuses continue due to a lack of police reporting and prosecutorial policies and structures.
However, the director of public prosecution Noordin Hajj says his office can only prosecute cases that have evidence, which can only be acquired if the victims report these cases.
He concedes lack of trust in the justice system and the culture of corruption are the main reasons victims fear reporting.
“There is a lot we need to do in terms of investigations and prosecution of GBV perpetrators, “he said.
He urged sports stakeholders to collaborate with his office to establish trust and legal framework on dealing with such cases.
Haji further notes the collaboration will sensitise athletes on what to do when they have been abused in addition to establishing a channel where victims can safely channel their grievances.
What next?
The committee recommends that all training camps be shut down and instead partner with the Ministry of Education to identify schools that will identify and nurture budding talents at the school level.
Alternatively, the committee urged the sports ministry to increase the number of female managers and coaches in training camps.
Furthermore, retired female athletes should be empowered to train and coach the upcoming ones.
“We also need to train female athletes on how to identify abuses even before it starts,” Kweya says.
The Chief Administrative Secretary of public service and gender, Linah Jebii Kilimo, also recommends the need to vet all coaches before they are allowed to train in any camp across the country.
“When we vet these coaches, we will be able to separate a professional coach from a quack thus reduce the likelihood of abuses in the camps,” she says.
She said vetting will further enhance accountability in every team in case of an incident.
Robert “Bob” Verbeeck, the CEO of Golazo, a sports marketing agency says GBV needs to be tackled soberly by independent minds.
“GBV is not a Kenyan problem, it is a worldwide problem. For years, the US gymnastic team especially the minors were sexually abused by the team physician and it went unreported until when the media screamed about it," the former Belgian long-distance marathoner says.
He says an independent individual or body will make it easy for victims to come out and speak about their ordeals.
“Kenya needs a trusted system that will encourage a reporting culture and will further take action against the perpetrators instead of silencing or blaming the victims,” Verbeeck says.
Call to action
By the end of the three-day conference, the sports federation and other related organisations banned all women's teams from leaving the country for any competition or participating in any international championship without the presence of at least two female officials, a team doctor, and a team welfare official.
In the resolutions, the federations and all sports associations are expected to meet the two-third gender rule in their managerial positions and bodies and further adhere to the 2010 constitution as well as follow all policies and structures put in place by the ministry.
The federations will further work towards implementing the set policies and structures in mitigating gender-based violence among the athletes especially the female sportsperson by establishing legal frameworks that sustain the protection of athletes in Kenya.
The mental health of athletes was also given a boost as sports organizations are expected to give psychological support to athletes and their officials whenever need be.
In mitigating the inequalities, sports organisations have been urged to provide leadership capacity training to more women to prepare them for more governance and leadership roles.
The ministry of sports and all sports organisations are expected to ensure both women and men teams receive equal resources.
Sports CS Amina Mohammed affirmed their stand in implementing the recommendations that will bring change in the sports industry.
CS Amina Mohammed said the ministry will oversee full implementation of the resolutions reached after three days of intense discussions with the industry stakeholders.
“This report will not gather dust on the desk. I will make sure every recommendation and resolution is implemented to the letter. We will ensure every federation and sports organization adhere to this agreement, “she says.
Amina says the ministry and the ministerial committee on gender welfare and equity in sports will meet in 100 days to review the progress of implementation.
She says the adoption of the resolutions is a collective responsibility where every one is required to make sure federations and organisations follow the guidelines.
The conference has opened a new chapter in the sports industry and through collaboration with various key stakeholders, is expected to cleanse the sector and bring back the glory it deserves.
“No more silence. It is time to protect our champions. We won’t lose another soul to gender-based violence. It stops now, “she concludes.
