Government sports facilities in Karnataka's lack gender parity: Study

A government-commissioned study has found lack of gender parity in state-run sports training institutions, with women facing discrimination and even sexual abuse in certain cases.

The study titled 'Impact evaluation of interventions by the state in respect of select sports in Karnataka (2011-12 to 2016-17)' undertaken by Sudheshna Mukherjee of Pan India Network was submitted to the government recently.

In majority of the districts, there were no separate hostels for boys and girls. In the Department of Youth Empowerment & Sports (DYES) hostels, there are no segregated buildings and different floors of the same building are used for men and women. Construction of separate hotels will encourage better participation of women in sports, the study says.

"In a rural set-up, parents are reluctant to send their daughters to such hostels," Mukherjee told DH.

The study cites instances of sports hostels in Mysuru and Davanagere where trainees narrated that they were subjected to "discriminating treatment by the hostel authority" but had not reported them owing to a sense of fear. A few female sports dropouts did hint at sexual abuse by coaches and hostel wardens, underlining the importance of grievance redressal mechanisms as per Vishakha guidelines.

Besides, the hostels also show a glaring lack of representation of youth from minority communities and there is a need for special initiatives to ensure adequate representation. Also, majority are from lower income households, suggesting that the wealthier ones go to private academies, it points out.

Hostels catering to trainees in athletics, wrestling, basketball, cycling, hockey, and football have performed well compared to other sports. The government should set aside more budget for hostels with good performance as an incentive to do even better, it says.

"When it comes to certain equipment like a hockey stick, each sportsperson needs their individual equipment and these cannot be shared. These are some issues that are coming in the way of creating champions," Mukherjee added.

Overall, the residential facilities for different sports are yielding an impressive result, although there is room for further improvement, the study says. Better infrastructure in sports hostels, gender-specific hostels, pro-active grievance redressal system and a gender policy document to accommodate the LGBTQ population in sports are some of the recommendations made by the author. That apart, better pay packages to coaches will also lead to more commitment on their part, according to the recommendations.

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