Harassment in squash rising

KARACHI: The incidents of sexual harassment of players by their coaches are on the rise in squash, it has been learnt.

Recently, a squash coach from working at a squash complex here in Karachi harassed a junior girl player of the national contingent during a foreign trip. “On the complaint of the player’s mother, the department where the coach is employed reprimanded him,” said a source while talking to ‘The News’.

But, the source added, due to the influence of a legendary squash player, who is supporting the coach, the coach managed to keep his job. “His department restricted him under its internal mechanism to deal with such issues but the thing is he is still working there in the same capacity,” said the source.

The source said that this is not new in squash as a few years back Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) released a national coach on receiving too many complaints of harassment against him but he got re-employed at the main squash complex of PSF in Islamabad after some time.

In another incident, the source added, sometime back a young boy was molested by his coach and his companions at a squash academy named after a legendary squash player in Karachi. “The victim was also filmed by his coach and the video was circulated in local sports circle but no action was taken against the coach and he is still working,” said the source. Moreover, the source added, a squash coach from Punjab got a lifetime ban by PSF when he tried to harass a girl during an international event in Korea. Though Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) have policies to deal with such issues, it is never seen that anybody found guilty got tried or penalised.