In the past BJJ Eastern Europe hasn’t shied away from picking up troubling reports. It looks as though we have another one like that in our hands. The cultural movement that’s caused the ouster of many once prominent powerhouses in hollywood is making its way in jiu jitsu communities – It’s just not acceptable to harass anyone, nor should it be.
Thomas Holtmann wrote:
In the light of recent events it’s time for a clear statement:
Like I posted before, I don’t care who you are, how many titles you got and how good your BJJ is, No! means No!
Sexual harassment is no joke!
I don’t even know what is more disgusting, that there are BJJ Black Belts out there who sexual harass their students or that it seems to be known by people and that they don’t speak about it?!
Some act like “yeah, that’s common behavior…”
Seriously, with all respect, what the f*ck is wrong with you?!
Shame on those people who try to silence those victims who publicly speak about it! You are scumbags, supporting a disgusting behavior!
And to all the victims out there, don’t be quiet. Let the world know who those sexual predators are so we can act accordingly!
A while ago Jiu jitsu times ran a survey about sexual harassment and assault which got some startling results, as unscientific as it is – out of selective audience of jiujitsutimes 36 % of female respondents report they were sexually harassed. And consider this – in more global surveys women in male dominated environments admit the problem is bigger:
About half of women (49%) in majority-male workplaces said that sexual harassment is “at least a small problem where they work,” and 15% of that cohort said it’s “a big problem.”
Of course this isn’t exactly news when every other week we see headlines like:
MMA instructor Jailed For 4 Years For Sexually Assaulting
Female MMA Fighters Allege Sexual Abuse During Pre Fight Exams
Me Too has first made an impact in German jiu jitsu community after a series of troubling reports regarding the behavior of one of world class competitors.
It’s not ok and it shouldn’t be ok to approach your students as a dating pool let alone harass anyone.
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