WOMEN AND MEN AGAINST CHILD ABUSE
FOR RELEASE BEFORE OLYMPICS CLOSING CEREMONY
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IT’S WOMEN’S DAY, IN WOMEN’S MONTH, AND A CHILD RAPIST IS FREELY COMPETING IN THE OLYMPICS. HOW IS THIS TOLERATED IN 2024?
Dutch convicted rapist in the Paris Olympics 2024: An Ethical Juxtaposition for Victims of Sexual Abuse
Crowds jeered and booed Dutch volleyball player Steven van de Velde while playing on the picturesque sand court near the base of the Eiffel Tower. The convicted rapist of a 12-year-old girl was sentenced to four years in prison in the United Kingdom in 2016 when he was 19 years old. Van de Velde’s participation in the 2024 Olympics sparked international debate across media outlets and advocacy groups for victims of sexual violence. Many condemning the complicit neutrality of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to allow him to compete. A decision that undermines the integrity of the Olympic Games, which is more than just a sporting event as they symbolise peace, fair play, and mutual respect.
The Olympics is a global celebration of athletic prowess, unity, and the spirit of human resilience. Athletes from 206 countries have trained, some their entire lives, for the honour of representing their countries on the world’s most prestigious stage. The and participation of a convicted rapist on the Olympic stage is disturbing, and contradictory to the values, principles, and philosophy the Olympic movement is meant to uphold as an international multilateral organization.
In all its controversy, the 2024 Paris Olympics has urged many to question the ethical standards and engagement of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The tireless scrutiny of numerous female athletes to maintain the high Olympic standards sparked contention in relation to Van de Velde’s participation, as the perceivable double standards in how serious offences are handled.
Rape is a devastating crime with long-lasting effects on survivors. It is an act of violence that robs individuals of their autonomy and sense of safety.
The lack of acknowledgment for the victim’s pain and trauma sends a message of disregard not only to her but to the many individuals who have experienced sexual violence.
By allowing a convicted rapist to compete, the Olympic Committee endorses the achievements and redemption arc of the perpetrator as more important than the suffering and justice owed to the victim. A decision that is insensitive, deeply harmful, and potentially retraumatizing survivors who see their abusers celebrated on a global platform.
Despite a petition of more than 125,000 signatures and public outcry from advocacy groups emphasizing that the participation of van de Velde, “is about more than just one person; it’s about the worldwide image of the Olympics and the kind of society we want to live in,” petition author Lauren Muir wrote.
Leading Advocacy organisation Women and Men Against Child Abuse (WMACA) is outraged, and so is the South African public. Along with numerous sexual violence advocacy organisations in many countries like the UK-based Survivors Trust group calling it an “endorsement of the shocking toleration we have of child sexual abuse.”
A message that precedents athletic success overshadowing moral and ethical failures and that the Games are willing to compromise their principles for the sake of competition.
The IOC noncommitally stated that athlete selection for the Olympics primarily falls under the jurisdiction of individual national Olympic committees rather than the IOC itself, stating that Van de Velde’s inclusion adheres to the guidelines set by the Dutch Volleyball Federation (NeVoBo). The Netherlands’ Olympic committee, which selected Van de Velde, stated that he had served his sentence, completed an extensive rehabilitation program, and experts had concluded there was no risk of him reoffending. The volleyball player had shown that he had “grown and positively changed his life”.
Van de Velde served 13 month of his four year sentence and is permanently on the UK’s sex offender registry due to the nature of the crime.
After 30 years in the field of child abuse, we at WMACA have very serious doubts that he was “rehabilitated” or that there is no risk of him reoffending.
A large body of research – and observation – has shown that the chance of recidivism for offenders of child sexual abuse is very high indeed.
Furthermore, WMACA questions the message that his inclusion sends to other athletes and support teams at the Olympics. With the youngest participating female athlete being 11 years old and the many individuals who look up to Olympians as role models, are athletes who emulate discipline, dedication, and excellence being held equally accountable to the Olympic principles? Or does talent, wealth, and success provide a shield against accountability, that some lives and experiences are valued more than others, and that justice is negotiable?
We don’t understand how a convicted perpetrator is even allowed to participate in sport on a national OR international level, and he should be stripped of his accolades, as was the case with Bob Hewitt.
The upcoming closure of Paris Olympics 2024 has left many to urge the International Olympic Committee to reflect on their poor decisions that affect the integrity of their own principles.
WMACA calls for an apology from the IOC and the Netherlands’ Olympic committee to the victim and her family, and also to all survivors of sexual assault and rape, especially in the sporting community, for not taking a stronger stance.
We want a commitment from the IOC to uphold their principles and values, with the embodiment of human rights and equal treatment for all athletes and supporters.
WMACA Founder, Miranda Jordan, says: “We have to hold international institutions and all sporting bodies in fact, to higher standards. If the Olympics are to continue to be a symbol of global unity and human excellence, they must prioritize the values they claim to represent. This means standing unequivocally with survivors of sexual violence and ensuring that those who have violated the fundamental rights of others are not given a platform to be celebrated. Only then can we truly honour the spirit of the Olympic Games.”
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For further information:
Luke Lamprecht 065 168 2971
Miranda Jordan 083 250 6821
Women and Men Against Child Abuse is a Non-Profit organisation, established in 1997. Now in its 27th year of operation, it remains at the forefront of raising awareness of the many and complicated issues around child abuse, child sexual abuse, GBVF, and SGBV, while at the same time providing comprehensive FREE professional treatment services to victims of child abuse at the Kidz Clinics in Alexandra Township and on the East Rand.
WMACA’s Advocacy division focus public, judicial and media attention on important cases to create awareness of all the aspects and issues surrounding child abuse and to put pressure on sometimes inadequate legal processes, in order to move cases involving children through the court system quickly and effectively. Other global issues such as child pornography and human trafficking are also brought to the fore, to educate the public and empower victims.
