Allegations of sexual harassment made by female wrestlers: Wrestle with it.

Women players are forced to confront dirty underbelly of Indian sport, characterised by a dangerous combination of political nexus and male domination of positions of power

It is clear that any redressal and grievance provisions that have so far been instituted to take up the complaints of sportswomen have been absolutely ineffective and have instilled zero confidence in women to come out and report their abuse.

Shocking allegations of sexual harassment and dictatorial functioning that have been made by top Indian wrestlers at Jantar Mantar on Wednesday against the president of Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) and Member of Parliament, Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, have once again pointed to the dirty underbelly of Indian sport. It is characterised by a dangerous combination of political nexus and male domination of positions of power. These very serious charges have been levelled in the backdrop of yet another case of criminal offence involving outraging the modesty of women registered in Chandigarh against the Haryana Sports Minister and former hockey player, Sandeep Singh, by a woman coach who is also a reputed athlete.

It is ironic and infuriating that the very authorities whose duty it is to support our sportswomen are in fact the ones who are taking advantage of their political might, holding hard-toiling sportswomen to ransom if they speak out against the harassment they are subject to. These are women who have put their lives on the line and quite literally invested their blood, sweat and tears into grueling months and years of training, often with no second professional option as back-up and little familial support, making their exploitation at the hands of corrupt officials all the more poignant.

Sadly, these recent cases of harassment of women in sports are merely the tip of an iceberg. The true shape of this particular problem has become quite gigantic and complex, as was highlighted by the women wrestlers in their press conference. It is clear that any redressal and grievance provisions that have so far been instituted to take up the complaints of sportswomen have been absolutely ineffective and have instilled zero confidence in women to come out and report their abuse.

This is the main reason behind hundreds of sportswomen being forced to stay quiet and comply with the authorities till there is absolutely no other choice but to come out. Both the women athletes and their families know it well that it is not an easy battle against the powerful political appointees and those who operate in their patronage. In fact, most of the time women athletes who dare to raise their voice are forced to give up their careers that they have invested unimaginable time and effort in. Read More On..