Some shocking news out of Quebec

[Elizabeth]

According to La Presse, pairs coach Richard Gauthier is accused of sexual assault of a minor in the 1980s in an arrest warrant filed on Wednesday.
https://t.co/IEnjfa1X5E?amp=1

Skate Canada has suspended Richard Gauthier while the criminal investigation into the sexual assault charge is ongoing.
https://t.co/s857yzXOoz?amp=1

Note - both linked articles are in French.

[happyheini]

That is shocking and it seems to highlight how widespread and unacknowledged this issues was and probably still is. How traumatic must these abuses be that victims only now have the courage to come forward after so many years. Sad, indeed.

[fred]

It's good that we live in a society where these things can be reported and people listen to the victims. Do we have to implement constant chaperoning between skaters & coaches? Hopefully we're not at that stage yet, but if it's going to turn out to be an ongoing problem, then something must be done. We can't have that sort of thing, and all too often it occurs without witnesses.

[Elizabeth]

It's good that we live in a society where these things can be reported and people listen to the victims. Do we have to implement constant chaperoning between skaters & coaches? Hopefully we're not at that stage yet, but if it's going to turn out to be an ongoing problem, then something must be done. We can't have that sort of thing, and all too often it occurs without witnesses.

The events in this case are supposed to have happened in the 1980s.

We might like to think things are different "nowadays". Sadly, there are events being reported in the USA between skaters and their partners or others that go all the way from exchanging nude photos (including of those under age) all the way up to rape, sometimes occurring nowhere near the training facilities. Some are apparently even under investigation currently; other investigations have ended with the death of one (or more) of those involved.

Skaters cannot be chaperoned everywhere and, once they are adults (under the law), this is unlikely to happen.

One of the important factors is the need for the survivors of such events to feel safe to report them and for others to believe and investigate their reports, and for them to be supported. There are organizations in many countries set up to receive the reports but they can do nothing if the "survivors" don't report.

[fred]

It's a real problem, alright. Maybe there could be an across-the-board sensitivity training for all coaches. Maybe accompanied with warnings of consequences for abusers, and some degree of support guaranteed to victims who report abuse. Whatever form that might take. It's not my area of expertise.

[kittykins]

That’s too bad!!! Although I know most cases turn out to be true, he is of course innocent until proven guilty! I feel for his present and past skating students.