Lok Sabha Question No. 2628 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-12-14
Subject: Sexual Harassment of Women Players
Ministry: YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS
Asked by: Sudheer Gupta, Ravindra Kushawaha, Sanjay Sadashivrao Mandlik, Ravi Kishan Shukla, Shrirang Appa Barne, Bidyut Baran Mahato, Prataprao  Jadhav

## Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports

## Government of India (Department of Sports)

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2628

## TO BE ANSWERD ON 14.12.2021

## SEXUAL HARASSMENT OF WOMEN PLAYERS

## 2628. SHRI SUDHEER GUPTA:

SHRI RAVINDRA KUSHWAHA:

SHRI SANJAY SADASHIVRAO MANDLIK:

SHRI RAVI KISHAN:

SHRI SHRIRANG APPA BARNE:

SHRI BIDYUT BARAN MAHATO:

SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV:

Will  the  Minister  of  YOUTH  AFFAIRS  AND  SPORTS  be  pleased  to state:

- (a)    whether  various  complaints/cases  have  been  received  by  the Government regarding sexual harassment of women players, coaches, support staffs in various sports bodies functioning in the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof during each of the last three years and the current year, State/UT-wise;
- (c)      whether  such  sexual  harassment  cases  are  in  increasing  on trend and if so, the details thereof along with the reasons thereof;
- (d)  the action taken by the Government on these complaints during the said period; and
- (e) the remedial measures taken by the Government to check such incidents in sports bodies and sports coaching centres?

THE MINISTER OF YOUTH AFFAIRS AND SPORTS

## ANSWER [SHRI ANURAG SINGH THAKUR]

(a) to (c): The Sports Authority of India (SAI), an  autonomous  body under  the  aegis  of  Ministry  of  Youth  Affairs  and  Sports, has informed that 17 sexual harassment complaints have been received during the last three years, which have been reported from centres of SAI located in Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala), Benguluru (Karnataka), Kolkata (West Bengal), Gandhi Nagar (Gujarat), Lucknow  (Uttar  Pradesh)  and  NCT  of  Delhi.  The  number  of  cases received during the last three years and the current year are given below:

|   Year |   Complaints received |
|--------|-----------------------|
|   2018 |                     7 |
|   2019 |                     6 |
|   2020 |                     1 |
|   2021 |                     3 |

(d) & (e) The complaints are dealt with as per the Sexual Harassment  of  Women  at  Workplace  (Prevention,  Prohibition  and Redressal)  Act,  2013,  and  the  Protection  of  Children  from  Sexual Offences Act (POCSO Act), 2012. Due arrangements for prevention of sexual harassment and a mechanism for redressal of complaints have been put in place in all the training centres of SAI.

In  total,  16  complaints have been received  involving employees of SAI and where the occurrence has taken place within SAI Complex. In  another  case,  one  coach  of  SAI  has  been  accused  of  sexual harassment  misconduct  outside  SAI  premises  for  which  criminal proceedings are under way. All 16 complaints have been disposed of as per established procedure.

Internal  Complaints  Committees  have  been  set  up  at  various centres of SAI with a senior female officer as the Chairperson of the Committee. A 24x7 call centre is also in operation in SAI where the trainees can lodge complaints. Female Coaches / female Managers are accompanied with the teams when they are going outstation.

Further,  National  Sports  Federations  (NSFs)  have  been  issued appropriate  instructions  which  form  part  of  the  National  Sports Development Code of India, 2011 to prevent sexual harassment of women in sports.

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