The criminal complaint of some Colombian athletes against their coach Giovanny Vega Blanco and against Betty Rojas sanguine by sexual harassment and sexual acts reopens a controversial topic about the situation that some athletes live in the country.
(You may be interested in: Exclusive: complaints of sexual harassment known by Mindeporte)
The Ministry of Sport is aware of 18 similar cases between March 2020 and January 2021.
About this situation, EL TIEMPO spoke with the Minister of Sports, Guillermo Herrera, who expressed his rejection and concern about this problem.
(Also: Worrying reality of sexual harassment in Colombian sports)
How serious is the problem of sexual harassment and abuse in sports in the country?
It is a reprehensible, outrageous and unacceptable subject throughout the world and, obviously, in national sport. We have registered 18 complaints since March 2020, in which we have accompanied and advised the victims. Gender violence should not happen in any field, not even in sports.
(Also read: Fedeathletismo pronounces on sexual harassment complaint)
What has the ministry under your charge done on this issue?
We have two lines of work: ‘Sport free of violence’, a program to educate, prevent and accompany. And next March we launched the ‘Protocol for the prevention, care and elimination of gender-based violence’, with a budget of 1,200 million pesos; the route of action in these cases for all the actors of the National Sports System.
In practice, what benefits will this have for people affected by gender-based violence?
For example, it will have an exclusive 1,800 service line to receive these complaints. In the case of the very serious complaint that is now in the news, from the Santander athletics club, it is said that there are 30 assaulted and we only have four girls who have made the complaint. In that line, all the victims will be able to do it.
In that specific case of the Santander athletes, what has your ministry done?
This is an aberrant case. We have been aware since last week and within what we can do we activate all the mechanisms: legal support for all these minors, psychosocial support for the victims and their families with ICBF and the municipality, and the reactivation of the rights of these girls .
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