A female kickboxing athlete initialed VAP from East Java revealed alleged sexual harassment by her coach on social media. The case is being handled by police, who have named the perpetrator initialed WPC as a suspect. Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir strongly condemned the act and demanded a lifetime ban from sports for the perpetrator.
A case of alleged sexual violence in Indonesian sports has resurfaced after a female kickboxing athlete initialed VAP, aged 24, shared her experience on Instagram. VAP admitted to suppressing the incident for a long time due to fear of speaking out, given that the perpetrator initialed WPC is both her coach and the chairman of the provincial kickboxing organization in East Java.
"I have been suppressing this incident for a long time. I was afraid to speak out because he is the chairman, while I am just an athlete who should focus on achieving success. But staying silent too long has made this wound heavier," VAP wrote in her post.
The East Java Regional Police are now handling the case and have named WPC as a suspect. A similar case previously occurred in climbing, where the perpetrator was also allegedly from the coaching circle abusing authority.
Minister of Youth and Sports Erick Thohir responded firmly through his official statement in Jakarta. "The kickboxing athlete's story of the sexual violence she experienced truly wounds us all. I feel the pain when reading the victim's struggle to seek justice by reporting this case," Erick said.
He appreciated VAP's courage to speak out despite facing trauma. Erick emphasized that perpetrators abusing positions should no longer be involved in sports. "Anyone proven to misuse power or exploit power relations to commit violence, including sexual violence, should not be involved in the sports world for life," he stated.
Erick also stated that the sports world must be a safe space upholding human values, with no tolerance for power abuse.
