Washington, D.C. (March 21, 2024)
Yesterday, Grace French, President and Founder of The Army of Survivors (TAOS), stood before the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security to provide crucial testimony at the hearing titled “Promoting a Safe Environment in U.S. Athletics.” This hearing, with Chairman John Hickenlooper and Ranking Member Blackburn, marked a significant moment in the ongoing effort to ensure the safety and well-being of athletes across the nation.
The hearing focused on critically examining the U.S. Center for SafeSport’s (SafeSport) effectiveness in protecting athletes, the challenges associated with conducting timely investigations and resolving cases, the transparency of the processes involved, and the decreasing trust of Olympic and Paralympic athletes in SafeSport to maintain an abuse-free environment. This concern follows a report submitted to Congress detailing findings from a two-year investigation by the Commission on the State of the U.S. Olympics and Paralympics on the effectiveness of the Olympic structure. As a respected voice for athlete-survivors of abuse in sports, Grace French shared her insights and experiences, contributing to the important discussions on how to enhance the safety and security of athletes. French also shared multiple examples of athlete-survivors who had negative interactions with SafeSport. Other witnesses included Ju’Riese Colón, Chief Executive Officer of the U.S. Center for SafeSport; Dionne Koller, Co-Chair of the Commission on the State of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee; and Pat Kelleher, Executive Director of USA Hockey.
During her testimony, French emphasized the imperative need for systemic reforms within SafeSport to foster a culture of safety and respect that does not re-traumatize athlete-survivors of sexual abuse. Drawing from her own experiences and the collective voices of athlete-survivors, French called for increased and enhanced communication from SafeSport, timely investigations into abuse and misconduct, and the implementation of trauma-informed referrals for mental health services for athlete-survivors reporting cases of abuse. French also urged SafeSport to collaborate with athlete-survivors and experts to adopt a trauma-informed approach, noting SafeSport’s lack of response to concerns reported by The Army of Survivors nearly two years ago.
“Our main concern has been the transparency and communication from SafeSport regarding how the investigation process is conducted and how decisions are reached to the extent allowed by law. The lack of clarity leaves athletes unsure whether their concerns will be investigated thoroughly,” Grace French stated. “SafeSport needs to ensure that their communications are trauma-informed and do not re-traumatize individuals through that process.”She concluded, “If SafeSport interacts with survivors in a more trauma-informed way, I believe there will be increased trust from those individuals, and we will achieve more resolutions faster.”
The Army of Survivors has been in contact with survivors of sexual abuse who have had re traumatizing experiences with SafeSport. Given these wide-spread trends, and hearing personally from individual survivors, in May 2022, The Army of Survivors began a series of interviews with dozens of athletes across several different sports, genders, ages, and levels of competition regarding their experiences with SafeSport. Through these discussions with athlete survivors and witnesses of sexual abuse in sports regarding how their cases were handled, it is clear more reforms and guidance are needed to ensure accountability of individuals and institutions, best practices on trauma-informed training and support, and more transparency. Dovetailing with the findings of the Commission, with her testimony, French listed examples of survivor experiences with SafeSport and several recommendations on how the U.S. Center for SafeSport may better improve safety, promote wellness, and prevent sexual violence and harassment in the future.
The Army of Survivors extends our deepest gratitude to Grace French for her unwavering commitment to advocating on behalf of athlete-survivors of sports abuse. We urge SafeSport, lawmakers, sports governing bodies, and all allied organizations to heed the call to action presented during the hearing and work collaboratively toward creating a safer environment for athletes at every level. To begin, The Army of Survivors is advocating for the introduction and passage of the Safer Sports for Athletes Act of 2024, expected to be introduced shortly by Rep. Deborah Ross (D-NC).
For more information about The Army of Survivors and to support our cause, please visit www.thearmyofsurvivors.org. To read Grace’s statement and watch her testimony, please visit: https://www.commerce.senate.gov/2024/3/promoting-a-safe-environment-in-u-s-athletics.
About The Army of Survivors
The Army of Survivors is a global leader in advocating for survivors of sexual assault in sport. The nonprofit organization was founded in 2018 by more than 40 survivors of sexual violence that was enabled by USA Gymnastics, Michigan State University, the U.S. Olympic Committee, and the FBI. This unique history allows TAOS to bring awareness to the systemic problem of sexual abuse of athletes from the lens of athlete survivors, and everything continues to be done with athlete survivors at the center of the work. The goal is to end sexual violence in sports by ensuring all perpetrators, those who collude with perpetrators, and those who fail to act are held accountable; creating transparency in reporting; building an environment where athletes do not fear retaliation when reporting abuse; and advocating for meaningful change that supports athlete survivors.
TAOS’ mission is to bring awareness, accountability, and transparency to sexual abuse against athletes at all levels, from elite to non-elite since the culture of sports that tacitly supports sexual abuse against athletes does not discriminate based on an athlete’s ability. Our work is athlete survivor-founded, survivor-led, and trauma-informed, and we carry out our work through three pillars that support TAOS’ mission: education, resources, and advocacy.
