The 14-year-old was subjected to sexual offenses by an older swimmer in the same association.
You still need to repeatedly confront the offender in the training complex.
– It is pure torture for the girl, says one of the leaders.
In the summer of 2020, a 17-year-old swimmer had contact with a girl 3 years younger in the same union. At first, they talked amicably on social media, but after a few months, the boy wanted her to send him nude pictures, which she did.
Listening to the two continued in the following months. He asked for more nude photos and they were sent, until everything was discovered and the Swimming Association called the police.
During the interrogation, the girl described that she felt pressured to send the photos and after that she felt bad. She was unable to train and in the absence of support the club changed hands, away from the friends and coaches she had enjoyed for several years.
This is while the man stayed and continued to pursue his project.
“full of discomfort”
In March 2022, the swimmer, who was 19 years old, was charged with sexual harassment and the exploitation of children in sexual positions. He will also pay SEK 25,000 to the girl. By then, the relationship between her new and old club had already become infected.
Because though swedish swimming federation The Swedish Sports Federation was involved, and the federations did not agree on how to keep the perpetrator at a sufficient distance from the victim. The unions share a training basin, and at first they put the swimmers’ permits spaced so that the girl would not meet the 19-year-old.
– But after six or seven weeks, the association said that the boy should be allowed to invest in the elite and follow his competition plan, so the agreement was no longer valid. Now he’s out and warm and she’s swimming, says one of the leaders.
The captain directs his criticism of the coach and the 19-year-old club’s board of directors. The commander believes that they approached the case lazily, which affects only the girl.
– We judge that the time was too short and that she is not ready to meet him. Filled with discomfort. But we are weak because the other club decides its members. The sentence was overturned but nothing happened. It was as if nothing had happened.
set crises
How would you act if one of your swimmers had been convicted of a sexual offense?
– If he was in our club, we would not welcome him again. A swimming pool is an open environment that should be safe, but it is not now. What do you stand for when you let a convicted person compete and train? Although the association doesn’t say so, they are distancing themselves from the girl – not the boy! Think about how you feel. The position was taken by the boy.
The Offender Club does not set up an interview, but answers questions via email. One of the board members notes that they themselves reported the boy to the police and suspended his training for a while.
– Later, he was allowed to return to work again after the written consent of the parents of the two young men, says the board member.
Regardless of the act, the girl left you while the boy kept swimming. Do you see it as a failure?
Our starting point in everything we do is always try to improve. We set up a crisis group early on, got support from the Swedish Sports Federation to handle the situation and support both members as wisely and thoughtfully as possible.