By Jose Kavi

New Delhi, May 4, 2023: Christian women have joined groups supporting the Indian wrestlers who are seeking justice against sexual abuse within the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI).

“It is with deep concern that we, women from the different Christian Churches in India, see the long struggle of our award winning wrestlers to get their situation of sexual abuse and harassment addressed,” says a joint statement from the Sisters in Solidarity (SIS) and the Indian Christian Women’s Movement (ICWM).

The May 4 statement applauds the wrestlers’ courage to voice their experiences of abuse and their tenacity to fight the system that shields abusers.

“We pledge our support for the wrestlers ….commit to being part of seeking for a solution to prevent, protect and restore the dignity of girls, women and vulnerable adults even as we demand that the political leaders of the country and leaders of the Churches in India to address the evil of sexual abuse that takes place with impunity, streamline the processes and systems of redressal to ensure that justice can be easily sought and obtained,” they assert.

In January, some 30 wrestlers, including Olympic medalists, staged a sit-in at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar accusing WFI and its coaches of sexually harassing female players for years, demanding disbanding of the federation.

The protests were called off later in January after the government promised to create an oversight committee to investigate the allegations.

The wrestlers resumed their protests on April 23 at Jantar Mantar, demanding the arrest of WFI chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, a Member of Parliament. They also want the oversight committee’s report made public.

The wrestlers allege that the harassment has been going on since 2012 and cited instances as recent as 2022, with at least four incidents happening at Singh’s bungalow that also serves as the WFI office. The incidents of harassment took place during tournaments as well, even outside India. Separate police complaints were filed by seven wrestlers against Singh.

Presentation Sister Dorothy Fernandes, national secretary of the Forum of Religious for Justice and Peace, an advocacy group formed by Catholic nuns, brothers and priests, described as “really disgusting” the serial abuse of women who brought laurels to the country in wrestling.

“More frightening is the blatant refusal to register a First Information Report,” Sister Fernandes told Matters India May 4.

Earlier, the Network of Women in Media offered solidarity with the protesting wrestlers.

A May 1 statement from the network says it is “acutely aware of the immense courage it takes for those directly affected to speak out” against sexual abuse.

The women media persons find it “particularly disturbing” the establishment’s “blanket response and censure of the athletes,” the silence of those in government, and the absence of an independent grievance redressal mechanism for India’s athletes.

The solidarity and Christian women movement too decried the “impunity enjoyed by the abusers in such situations as they will continue to be perpetrators of sexual violence against children and vulnerable adults, fully confident of the systems that protect them.”

Describing the Delhi police’s apathy and inaction as “indeed appalling,” the Christian women condemned the use of force against the protesting wrestlers. “We condemn such moves on the part of those who are expected to protect those who are resisting violence,” added the statement.

The Christian women also denounced the absence of redressal systems and the failure of the official bodies to provide “prevention, protection and support when women and girls gather up the courage to complain and seek justice.”

They expressed shock at “the magnitude of the problem of abuse of girls, women and vulnerable adults within our society and also in our Churches and other religious spaces.”

They condemned mechanisms that protect the abusers while maintaining “deafening silence at speaking for the abused victims.”

The Christian groups agree with the agitating wrestlers that to stand against the powerful is tough and point out that the Christian women too face similar situations.

“Legal provisions are of no use if they are not known, not accessible and most importantly if they do not function at their optimum potential. We call upon our leaders to make this a reality so that we can have safer spaces for women, children and vulnerable adults in our nation and in our Churches,” the statement adds.

Sister Fernandes lamented that the authorities do not adhere to orders of the highest court of the land. “It’s clear now that women’s lives, women’s demands do not matter in a patriarchal world,” regretted the Patna-based social activist.

She termed it heartening to see men coming forward to support the wrestlers. “It’s a grave violation of human rights and we should hang our heads down in shame because it is a collective flaw. Who will restore thus disgrace?” she asked.

The media network too agrees that the current mechanisms are not independent to deliver justice and finds it paradoxical that “the victim-survivors of abuse and their colleagues” are forced to protest on the roadside while their influential abuser enjoys the comfort of the parliament.