Sexual harassment and abuse in sport: some legal and criminological considerations

Salomėja Zaksaitė
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Sexual harassment and sexual abuse are not uncommon in the world of sports. Many athletes, especially female athletes, have been victims of violence, intimidation and abuse. For many years, victims remained silent and hid their experiences for fear of condemnation by society and the media, but recent trends show that the situation is improving. More and more athletes are speaking out against sexual harassment and abuse in the world of sport. From a legal point of view, the main feature of sexual harassment cases is that the burden of proof can be shifted to the accused. In criminal law, this mechanism raises concerns about a possible violation of the presumption of innocence. However, as international sports federations apply a lower standard of proof in disciplinary cases, this procedural feature is viewed favourably. At the same time, it should be noted that a lower standard of proof does not in any way mean that sexual harassment and abuse cases can be investigated with less responsibility or sensitivity. On the contrary, the legal and criminological specificity of this phenomenon implies that the boundaries between sexual abuse, sexual harassment, unprofessional conduct, and mere flirting must be clearly defined. Appropriate delimitation ensures, on the one hand, that perpetrators do not escape responsibility, even if it is relatively minor, and, on the other hand, protects the innocent against unfounded accusations.
体育运动中的性骚扰和性虐待:一些法律和犯罪学方面的考虑
性骚扰和性虐待在体育界并不少见。许多运动员,尤其是女运动员,都曾是暴力、恐吓和虐待的受害者。多年来,受害者因害怕受到社会和媒体的谴责而保持沉默,隐瞒自己的遭遇,但最近的趋势表明,情况正在好转。越来越多的运动员开始公开反对体育界的性骚扰和性虐待行为。从法律角度来看,性骚扰案件的主要特点是举证责任可以转移到被告身上。在刑法中,这一机制引起了对可能违反无罪推定原则的担忧。然而,由于国际体育联合会在纪律处分案件中采用较低的举证标准,这一程序特点被认为是有利的。同时,应当指出的是,降低举证标准绝不意味着在调查性骚扰和性虐待案件时可以降低责任心或敏感性。相反,这种现象在法律和犯罪学上的特殊性意味着,必须明确界定性虐待、性骚扰、非职业行为和单纯调情之间的界限。适当的界限划分一方面可以确保犯罪者不会逃避责任,即使是相对较轻的责任,另一方面也可以保护无辜者免受毫无根据的指控。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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9
审稿时长
32 weeks
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