Tag: sexual harassment

French cinema has its #MeToo moment, sparking growing need for intimacy coordinators

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A cascade of sexual violence allegations has rocked the French film industry in recent months, with actor Judith Godrèche leading the charge for a reckoning about gender-based abuse. Calls to safeguard actors on set are growing, as is the need for intimacy coordinators – a job that is yet to be officially recognised in France.

For the first time in history, an actor spoke to MPs in the French upper house of parliament about sexual violence and gender-based abuse in the film industry last week.

Addressing the Senate’s women’s rights committee, actor Judith Godrèche called for the establishment of a commission of inquiry into gender-based violence and reprehended the “incestuous family” that is French cinema.

The actor-turned-filmmaker has become a bellwether for France’s #MeToo movement. She recently accused two filmmakers, Benoît Jacquot and Jacques Doillon, of sexually assaulting her as a teenager. Both men have denied the allegations.

In her speech, Godrèche also urged for a “more effective system of control” that would include a “neutral advisor” in shoots involving minors and an intimacy coordinator for sex scenes.

Her words have all the more clout given that there are only four intimacy coordinators currently working in the whole of France.

Breaking power dynamics

Ten years ago, intimacy coordinators were practically unheard of. Although theatre productions have used “intimacy choreographers” in the past, the job of “coordinator” got its first big break in the US in 2017, when a catalogue of sexual violence cases in the film industry were brought to light by the #MeToo movement.

Actors began demanding professional safeguards for their well-being on set and pushed for better regulation of intimate scenes, not only to ensure full consent but also to provide accountability in cases of gender-based violence.

Read more‘Wind of revolt’ sweeps French cinema in belated #MeToo reckoning

“In a 2017 TV series called The Deuce, one of the actors decided she needed more help discussing her boundaries and wanted more support when shooting intimate scenes. So on season two, HBO hired an intimacy coordinator,” says Paloma Garcia Martens, one of the few intimacy coordinators working in France. “And then it kind of spread.”

For scenes involving nudity, simulated sexual acts, sexual violence or assault, or any other form of sexual activity from kissing to fondling – intimacy coordinators act as mediators between the actors and the director.

Much like stunt coordinators, their role is to make sure actors are safe throughout the filming process and that scenes look believable. They act as “neutral advisors”, to use Godrèche’s words, and find a middle ground between in a relationship that is often fraught with power dynamics.

“Filmmakers sometimes have a way of directing actors that is a little violent,” says Pedro Labaig, a first assistant director based in Paris. He says that since intimacy coordinators are so uncommon in French film productions, it is often up to assistant directors to ensure the well-being of everyone on set.

“There have been times I’ve had to intervene and reassure the actors that I’m here, that they’re allowed to speak to the director and that it’s OK to tell them they need to do things differently,” he says. “It’s complicated though. The director is the artist and nobody wants to boss the artist around. But I can, to a certain extent.”

Once intimacy coordinators receive a script, they begin by clarifying the details of intimate scenes with the director. “Screenplays can often have vague phrases like ‘they make love passionately’,” says Marine Longuet, an assistant director and member of the feminist collective 50/50, which combats sexism in French cinema.

“Intimacy coordinators will ask the director what they mean by that phrase. Will the actor be naked? Will they be under a duvet? Do they kiss? Are their bodies covered in sweat? They help directors be more precise … And ensure that actors know exactly what they’ve signed up for,” says Longuet.  

They also work with the cast to define boundaries before scenes are rehearsed, carefully creating a safe space and open dialogue to ensure consent is given throughout the filming process.

“There is such a prevalence of trauma around sex … Most actors I’ve worked with have told me horror stories of intimate things that went wrong on set at some point in their lives,” Martens explains. “Very often, they are put in positions where they have to improvise or they haven’t had the time to go over [what their] boundaries [are]. They never even thought that they could actually consider their own boundaries. And they end up in situations that, although most people are well-meaning, lead to harm.”

Read moreGender-based violence in French universities: ‘I decided something had to change’

While filming, intimacy coordinators stay on set. If an actor changes their mind about a detail in a scene or begins to feel uncomfortable, they can flag this to the coordinator. And if a director wants to change something previously agreed upon, they must go through the coordinator and get approval from the actors before doing so.

“Mostly, it’s all about communication … If at one point the director’s idea isn’t aligned with someone’s boundaries, then we workshop solutions,” says Martens. “We connect with all the different departments [to inform them of boundaries], including costume and make-up to find ways of hiding specific body parts for example, and create closed set protocols to define which essential personnel is allowed during intimate scenes and who is allowed access to monitors, these kinds of things.”  

In the US and the UK, intimacy coordinators are much more prevalent than in France. The profession is widely recognised and regulated. US TV network HBO has required their presence on all of their productions with intimate scenes since 2018, a decision which helped popularise the job.

The US Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) published guidelines for intimacy coordinators in January 2020. And Directors UK, an organisation representing UK screen directors, published a quick guide in 2019.

To date, there are no official guidelines for intimacy coordinators in France. Nor is there an official training course for people to become certified intimacy coordinators.

A budding profession in France

According to a study published by the French National Joint Employment and Training Committee (CPNEF) in December 2023, there are only four intimacy coordinators in the whole of France, compared to 80 in the US.

All intimacy coordinators in France are women, but male intimacy coordinators do exist. David Thackeray from the UK worked on the fourth season of the TV series Sex Education, for example. 

The CPNEF recommends those interested in working as intimacy coordinators to go through SAG-AFTRA for vetted training courses, which all take place in English. The committee says it is currently working on creating a certified training course to encourage more people to take up the profession.

“I’m seeing more and more people who claim to be intimacy coordinators,” says Longuet worriedly. She fears that without proper training, self-defined intimacy coordinators could make matters worse. “We shouldn’t be adding to the risk.”

As of January 2025, the CPNEF plans on training six people a year to become intimacy coordinators.

“This job does not yet exist in France and is currently being defined in order to determine appropriate training,” the French organisation for assistant directors in fiction AFAR wrote on its website in 2020. “The director’s team is currently responsible for ensuring that ‘intimate’ scenes run smoothly.”

Although Martens works on French film productions, she was trained abroad. “I did several training courses in the US and Canada, and right now I’m in the process of updating my certification with Principal Intimacy Professionals,” Martens explains.

There is no requirement for intimacy coordinators on French film sets. Directors or production companies decide for themselves whether or not scenes in a film warrant their presence.

“Sometimes stunt coordinators are called on set for no reason. But I have never come across an intimacy coordinator,” says Labaig.

In the absence of regulations, it is up to the employer to protect the health and well-being of workers. Since producers or a production company are usually considered the employer on film sets, they must implement the appropriate prevention, information and training measures and see that what happens during working hours is in line with the French Labour Code.

Film actors and crews can also turn to “harassment officers” in cases of sexual assault.

“Harassment officers” are in charge of taking on and handling cases of gender-based violence.

According to the French Labour Code, it is mandatory for French companies with more than 250 employers to have a harassment officer, and each officer has to undergo mandatory training.

“Harassment officers are crew members who, on top of their job on set, are there to provide resources in case something happens. But until recently, they have rarely been mentioned, because productions often didn’t have human resources managers,” says Longuet. “Their role is to flag whenever a labour law has been breached and if they see any violence on set, they have a duty to report it.”

“But unlike intimacy coordinators, they are responsible for the entire team. Intimacy coordinators have a very specific role minding the relationship between directors and actors,” she says.

The tide is turning

Longuet explains the lack of intimacy coordinators in France as being twofold. Directors are afraid of losing autonomy, and France has a vision of cinema as a sacred artform rather than an industry.

“Directors often imagine intimacy coordinators to be some kind of moral police,” says Longuet. “And since it can take four, five, six years to make a film … it is so precious to them – they can be afraid that an intimacy coordinator will rob them of something.”

But for Longuet, this is simply a misconception of what the job actually entails. “When we see intimacy coordinators at work, it is clear that they don’t direct scenes. They prepare them.”

Then there is a broader cultural understanding of what cinema is. Longuet explains that in the US, cinema has always been seen as an industry. And where there is an industry, there are protocols. “In France, we have a different model. Since the New Wave, we have prioritised auteur cinema. The auteur is the director, and the director always has the final say, which is not always the case in the US or UK. The auteur writes, directs and generally isn’t asked to share their thoughts on the mise en scène (production),” she says.

“It’s as though directors have some kind of exclusive territory.”

Martens also mentions the fact that the US, Canada and the UK have very powerful actor’s unions. In France, “actors don’t have a lot of power, and a lot of times their agents don’t even support them because they are just chasing the next check”, she explains.

Although intimacy coordinators have yet to become an integral part of French film productions, the industry is seeing a monumental shift in behaviour. More and more women like Godrèche are speaking out about the inherent sexism and abuse they face working in cinema, paving the road for some light at the end of the tunnel.

“Of course, gender-based violence is still rampant, but both in my work with 50/50 and as an assistant director, I try to work from a perspective of solidarity and sisterhood. To me, that’s eminently precious,” says Longuet.

“When I meet colleagues on set, I feel a newfound sense of solidarity. Even if everything seems to be exploding around us, I am seeing change. I see kindness and goodwill around me. And that’s something to celebrate.”

The tide is turning for France’s handful of intimacy coordinators as well. “I’m getting a lot more calls from production companies,” Martens beams.

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Gender-based violence in French universities: ‘I decided something had to change’

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The most prestigious universities and business schools in France such as Sciences Po and HEC train the country’s future executives and politicians. But due to the prevalence of gender-based violence that takes place on campus, for many students, they are also spaces that don’t feel safe.

On November 15, Nantes University published the results of a report and found that 4 of every 10 of its students have been victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The majority of victims identified as women or non-binary. 

A few months earlier, the French Observatory on Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education published its own report based on 10,000 student testimonials, which found that more than half of students don’t feel safe in their institutions, with 4 in 10 saying their school doesn’t do enough to combat gender-based violence. 71% of respondents identified as women.  

Run by student associations across France, the Observatory helps academic institutions track the gender-based violence and draw up preventative action plans, maps existing student initiatives and holds student conferences on the topic. 

In an October 2023 editorial published by French daily Libération, the Observatory and other student groups called for “an urgent increase in the [financial] resources dedicated to combating gender-based violence in higher education and research institutions”. A year earlier, in October 2022, Minister of Higher Education Sylvie Retailleau announced the budget to combat gender-based violence in French universities would be doubled. While student groups called this “a step in the right direction”, they said the €3.5 million allocated was “far from enough to cover” more than a few workshops and campaigns to raise awareness.    

“Establishments must set up the necessary tools to help prevent, report and support victims of gender-based violence,” the groups wrote in the editorial.  

That is where Safe Campus comes in. Though other French collectives combatting gender-based violence in higher education like CLASCHES exist, providing tools for victims and raising awareness on campuses, Safe Campus is the first organisation aimed at implementing preventative tools specifically in higher education institutions across France.  

Its founder, the 30-year-old Marine Dupriez, decided to set up the organisation after having studied at a top French business school, where she witnessed countless cases of gender-based violence and sexism.

FRANCE 24: What prompted you to take up the challenge of combatting gender-based violence in French universities?  

Marine Dupriez: What I experienced at business school was a deeply sexist, racist and homophobic culture. When I was a student, there was a school newspaper that would come out with a “whore of the month” for each edition. At the time, it’s not like the administration actively supported the newspaper, but it wasn’t strictly prohibited. Now practices like this have been banned.  

There is also a specific way in which prestigious universities in France are structured. Student associations are a key part of student life in these schools, and many students join these groups because it’s important for their education – it’s vital for networking. But at what cost? The recruitment process into these associations bring about group dynamics and integration rituals that are often violent. There are very little “positive” integration rituals.  

I eventually began volunteering for a number of associations that taught secondary school students about sex and emotional life while I was still in university. The more time passed, the more I realised how important it would be for these things to be taught in higher education institutions. 

After graduating, I joined an organisation focussed on the prevention of domestic and sexual violence. I would talk to my former classmates about the work I was doing and they would say how wonderful it was, but nobody would talk about what happened while we were at university. 

It’s as if my work and our shared experience of gender-based violence were two completely separate things. I decided that something had to change and took matters into my own hands.  

Can you briefly explain when you started Safe Campus and what it is you do?  

When I started Safe Campus in September 2019 and began contacting universities, all I got were refusals. Institutions would tell me that gender-based violence didn’t exist on their campuses, and if it did, that they had it under control. They closed the doors in my face. I almost gave up, but in January 2020, an investigation published by French online newspaper Mediapart found that gender-based violence was running rampant in these elite business schools. Universities started contacting me and we began working together the way we do today.  

We use a three-step approach. First, we work on improving or setting up reporting protocols. What that means is, if I’m a student and I’m experiencing gender-based violence, I’ll know exactly who to turn to and how. I will also know exactly how my report will be filed and the measures taken to treat it. We work on ensuring there is a clear protocol, staff at hand to deal with reports and that everybody knows this protocol exists.  

Marine Dupriez speaks to students about gender-based violence in order to raise awareness on the issue. © Marine Dupriez, Safe Campus

Then we train people according to their role in the protocol. We’ll work on how staff can support a victim, for example, in particular on what we call the “first listening session”, the first interview that allows a victim to speak out. We also provide training on investigations, because it’s up to universities to carry out disciplinary hearings to get to the bottom of a case.  

The last thing we do is raise awareness among students. And I use the term “raise awareness” intentionally. It’s not the student’s responsibility to get training on gender-based violence, it’s the administrations. We talk to students about how to prevent gender-based violence, consent, the legal framework and stereotypes, for example.  

It’s very important that this is the last step because very often when we intervene in an institution, people end up identifying situations they experienced as violent and turn to the administration to report what happened. If those taking in a victim’s report are not properly trained, it’s can be even more disappointing or hurtful.     

Does your work change depending on which university you intervene in?  

Gender-based violence is not the same across all universities in France. In prestigious establishments (“grandes écoles” in French) like business schools or engineering schools, there are more cases of violence between students, particularly during ritual parties or integration events. In bigger universities where campus life and student associations aren’t as present, there tends to be much more violence between professors and students. Often between a thesis director and their student, for example.  

There are also differences between private and public universities. In public institutions, there is no choosing sanctions or penalties, they are already detailed in French law. For example, the law stipulates that any civil servant who has knowledge of a crime or misdemeanour must report it. Private establishments on the other hand are more or less free to choose how to sanction gender-based violence.  

What is your biggest challenge?  

My challenges have changed with time. But there is one that persists, and that is the financial challenge. Unfortunately, these days, higher education institutions still don’t have enough time nor enough money to allocate to the prevention of gender-bases violence. So we’re obliged to do short interventions with large audiences, which inevitably will have less of an impact than long interventions with small groups.  

There are laws in France stating that each university should have an advisor or specialist to help victims of gender-based violence. But there is no obligation for these universities to open new jobs, or even to increase the salaries of staff who become advisors. It’s so important to relate the legal framework to the reality on the ground.  

What about when you speak to students? What are the biggest sticking points?   

It changes a lot depending on what year the students are in and what kind of university they’re attending. First year students are at an age where they are questioning their identity, their sexuality. They’re adults but they’re still discovering themselves. So things can get a bit tricky when we try to raise awareness, there can be frictions, because they’re still figuring things out and getting to know one another.  

But debates and frictions take place regardless of what year students are in. We sometimes get students who aren’t happy at all with what we’re saying, who find our presence extremely disturbing. That happens. We’re talking about difficult topics like sexual violence, but we’re also talking about consent and linking it to their everyday lives. For example, is it OK to get your mate to drink when they don’t want to? How does inebriation affect consent? 

The use of alcohol is actually a very big sticking point. And the notion of consent can really call into question habits that some students don’t want to lose.  

What makes you hopeful?  

When I work with universities today, especially prestigious grandes écoles, the majority of female-led student associations are being taken seriously. They speak out. They aren’t afraid of escalating issues to the administration. They’re being listened to. That would have been unimaginable four years ago.  

There is one university in particular where a female-led student association pushed so hard to prevent gender-based violence that now any student group leader has to go through mandatory training before being recruited.  

As someone who could only do this kind of work after graduating, I find it extremely moving. 

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Spanish women’s football team refuses to play under Rubiales

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Rubiales is refusing to step down despite the uproar he caused when he kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips without her consent during a medals ceremony last Sunday after the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, Australia.

The 23 members of Spain’s national women’s football team, crowned world champions in Australia on Sunday, say they won’t play for the team under the management of the federation’s current president, Luis Rubiales. 

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Rubiales kissed player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during a medals ceremony after the final without her consent and has since refused to resign, despite the uproar his actions have caused.

“After everything that happened at the Women’s World Cup medal ceremony, all the players who have signed this text will not honour a future call-up if the current management team is maintained,” the world champions wrote on Friday in a statement issued by the Futpro union, which is defending the interests of Jenni Hermoso, who was forcibly kissed by federation president Luis Rubiales.

Hermoso said in a statement on Friday “in no moment” did she consent to a kiss on the lips by soccer federation president Luis Rubiales, hours after Rubiales claimed in an emergency meeting of the Spanish soccer federation that the kiss was consensual.

Facing his possible removal from office, Rubiales refused to step down despite the uproar he caused with the kiss, which happened during a medals ceremony last Sunday after the Women’s World Cup final in Sydney, Australia.

“I won’t resign,” Luis Rubiales declared four times in quick succession at the meeting and claimed he was a victim of a witch hunt by “false feminists.”

He was applauded by the overwhelming male assembly.

While Rubiales held his ground, federation vice president Rafael del Amo, who had been in charge of women’s soccer, announced that he was resigning, followed by at least two other federation members. Del Amo had urged Rubiales to also resign.

Among those supporting Rubiales were women’s national team coach Jorge Vilda and men’s national team coach Luis de la Fuente. Until Friday’s assembly, he had received no public support in Spain, with political parties from both the left and the right speaking out against him.

Uproar in Spain

Rubiales kissed Spain and CF Pachuca player Jenni Hermoso on the lips during the award ceremony after Spain beat England in the final in Sydney, Australia, marring the title celebrations with his actions.

Several Spanish media outlets reported on Thursday that Rubiales was planning to step down.

That same day, FIFA, football’s global governing body and organiser of the Women’s World Cup, opened a disciplinary case against him.

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Its disciplinary committee was tasked with weighing whether Rubiales violated its code relating to “the basic rules of decent conduct” and “behaving in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”

In an apology video, he said the kiss was “mutual and with the consent” of Hermoso. He received various applause from the overwhelming male assembly.

Rubiales described the controversial kiss as “spontaneous, mutual, euphoric and consensual,” although he said sorry “for the context in which it took place”.

Hermoso had said, “I didn’t like it [the kiss], but what can I do,” in a video streamed on social media last Sunday. 

In his speech to the assembly on Friday, Rubiales said Hermoso “lifted me up” in a celebratory gesture and he asked her for “a little kiss?” and she “said yes.”

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“The kiss was the same I could give one of my daughters,” Rubiales said.

The televised broadcast of the medals ceremony didn’t show the first moments when Rubiales congratulated Hermoso. But it does show that his feet were on the ground before he held her face and kissed her.

Hermoso contradicted Rubiales’ version in a statement issued later through her FUTRPO players’ union. She said, “In no moment did I consent to the kiss that he gave me and in no moment did I try to pick up the president.”

“I won’t tolerate anyone putting in doubt my word and even more so that anyone invents words that I did not say.”

Rubiales said he would defend his honour in court against politicians, including two ministers, who called his kiss an act of sexual violence. One of them was acting Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz, who urged the government to take “urgent measures.”

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“Impunity for macho actions is over,” Díaz said. “Rubiales cannot continue in office.”

Alexia Putellas, Hermoso’s teammate and a two-time Ballon d’Or winner as the best player in the world, posted a message of support on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“This is unacceptable,” the Barcelona player wrote. “I’m with you, my teammate, Jenni Hermoso.”

Other teammates quickly followed.

Aitana Bonmatí, the Spain midfielder named the best player of the Women’s World Cup, said on X: “There are limits that you cannot cross and we cannot tolerate this. We are with our teammate.” Team captain Ivana Andrés and Olga Carmona, whose goal won the final, also joined in showing their support for Hermoso.

The president of Spain’s women’s league, Beatriz Álvarez, told Spanish state broadcaster RTVE that she was not surprised because Rubiales’ “ego is above his dignity.”

“What surprises and scandalizes me are his words,” Álvarez said. “Every time he speaks he shows what kind of person he really is.”

Legal challenge

Spain’s government planned to file a lawsuit Friday alleging that Rubiales violated the country’s sports laws, according to Víctor Francos, secretary of state for sports and head of Spain’s Higher Council for Sports. If Spain’s Administrative Court for Sports agrees to hear the suit, the council will suspend Rubiales temporarily pending the court’s ruling, Francos said.

If found guilty by the court for committing sexist acts, Rubiales could be ruled unfit to hold office. Francos said he would ask the court to move its regular Thursday meeting up to Monday.

“The speech by Mr Rubiales before the general assembly of the Spanish soccer federation is absolutely incompatible with representing Spanish sports and with the values of an advanced society like Spain’s,” the Higher Council for Sports said in a written statement.

Spanish soccer club Barcelona, which provided nine players for Spain’s team, said Rubiales’ behaviour “was completely inappropriate.” Sevilla called for his resignation. Espanyol also joined in the criticism.

FIFA, the governing body of soccer, opened a disciplinary case against Rubiales on Thursday. The FIFA disciplinary committee will decide whether Rubiales violated its code relating to “the basic rules of decent conduct” or behaved “in a way that brings the sport of football and/or FIFA into disrepute.”

Disciplinary judges can impose sanctions on individuals ranging from warnings and fines to suspensions from the sport. FIFA gave no timetable for the ruling.

FIFA’s investigation came after Spain’s acting prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said earlier this week that Rubiales’ attempt to apologize — after he first insulted his critics — was unconvincing and that “he must continue taking further steps.”

The Netherlands-based FIFPRO player’s union, which had already demanded action against Rubiales, reiterated its position after his assembly speech.

The only relevant institution to remain silent has been European soccer body UEFA, for which Rubiales is a vice president. FIFPRO urged UEFA to open its own disciplinary case.

Further inappropriate behaviour

As if the forced kiss was not enough, Rubiales had shortly before grabbed his crotch in a lewd victory gesture from the section of dignitaries with Spain’s Queen Letizia and the 16-year-old Princess Sofía nearby.

The combination of the gesture and the unsolicited kiss has made Rubiales a national embarrassment after his conduct was broadcast to a global audience, marring the enormous accomplishment of the women who played for Spain.

“Spanish sports did not offer a good image as far as its leaders were concerned,” Víctor Francos Díaz Spain’s secretary of state for sports and president of Spain’s Higher Council for Sports told The Associated Press in a telephone interview from Madrid.

Rubiales also is a UEFA vice president and was the European football body’s most senior elected representative at the final in Australia.

The former footballer has a key role in swooning football officials over the next year while trying to secure hosting rights for the men’s World Cup in 2030. However, whether he will oversee that campaign any further appears unlikely. 

Spain leads a joint bid with Portugal, Morocco and, currently, Ukraine for the 48-team tournament and is favoured to win next year’s decision.

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Wrestlers Vs WFI sexual harassment row: From Jantar Mantar to Supreme Court, the story so far

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The four-month-long tussle between Indian women wrestlers and Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) chief and BJP MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh has reached the Supreme Court. On April 24, an SC bench led by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud decided to examine the petition filed by seven women wrestlers against Mr. Singh alleging sexual harassment.

Wrestlers Vs WFI: What triggered the row?

On January 18, thirty Indian wrestlers including Sakshi Malik, Vinesh Phogat, Bajrang Punia, Ravi Dahiya and others staged a silent sit-in protest at New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, alleging that he and several coaches had sexually harassed many girls.

Speaking to ANI, 28-year-old Commonwealth Games gold-medallist Vinesh Phogat said, “Some coaches who are favourites of the federation misbehave with women coaches as well. They sexually harass girls. The WFI president has sexually harassed so many girls”. While Ms. Phogat clarified that she herself did not face this issue, she said she had received death threats at the behest of Mr. Singh.

Refuting any wrongdoing, Mr. Singh said that he “would hang himself if any such incident had happened”. Taking a jibe at the protesting wrestlers, he said they had not contested any national tournament after the Olympics. He added that the main issue of the protest was the new rules and regulations brought in by the WFI.

New Delhi: Wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshi Malik and others during their ongoing protest against the Wrestling Federation of India (WFI), at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi, Friday, Jan. 20, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
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Wrestlers’ grievances

As no action was initiated against Mr. Singh, the wrestlers continued their protest at Jantar Mantar. Moreover, Olympians Bajrang Punia and Sakshi Malik alleged that the WFI was ‘harassing wrestlers through its arbitrary rules and regulations’. They also accused the WFI of interfering with their personal lives and failing to provide adequate coaching and medical support. Their demands included police investigation against Mr. Singh, his removal as WFI chief and disbanding of the WFI.

With the protest gaining media attention and the support of several Opposition parties, on January 19, the Sports Ministry sought an explanation from WFI within seventy-two hours regarding the allegations. The Ministry also cancelled the Women National Wrestling Coaching camp, scheduled for January 18, as the wrestlers remained adamant in their demand for disbanding the WFI immediately.

The Centre’s response

On January 19, a meeting was held between government officials and the protesting wrestlers to iron out the issues, followed by a meeting with Union Sports Minster Anurag Thakur.

After a second meeting betwthe een the wrestlers and Mr. Thakur on January 20, protests were called off with the assurance that the Centre will form an oversight committee to investigate the allegations against Mr. Singh. On January 21, the Sports Ministry suspended WFI’s assistant secretary Vinod Tomar to ensure proper functioning of WFI, halted WFI’s ongoing activities with immediate effect and asked Mr. Singh to step aside till the month-long investigation was completed.

On January 23, a six-member committee headed by boxing champion M C Mary Kom was constituted to investigate the charges against Mr. Singh and manage the day-to-day affairs of the WFI. Besides Ms. Kom, the committee comprised former wrestler Yogeshwar Dutt, ex-badminton player Trupti Murgunde, ex-TOPS CEO Capt Rajagopalan, SAI executive director Radhica Sreeman and ex-wrestler Babita Phogat.

Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur along with wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshee Malikkh, Babita Phogat and Ravi Kumar Dahiya address a joint press conference at his residence, in New Delhi on January 21, 2023

Union Minister of Sports and Youth Affairs Anurag Thakur along with wrestlers Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Sakshee Malikkh, Babita Phogat and Ravi Kumar Dahiya address a joint press conference at his residence, in New Delhi on January 21, 2023
| Photo Credit:
ANI

Oversight committee probe into Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh 

After a two-week tenure extension, the committee filed its final report on April 5. On February 28, Mr. Singh appeared before the committee for questioning as part of the inquiry.

On April 16, Mr. Singh — a six-time MP from Uttar Pradesh’s Gonda, Balrampur and Kaiserganj — stated that he would not contest for the president’s post in the WFI election on May 7. Mr. Singh has served three four-year terms as WFI president and is ineligible to contest for the top post as per the Sports Code. However, he can contest for another WFI post after a four-year cooling-off period.

Mr. Singh, 66, a wrestler himself, is a strongman from UP’s electorally significant Bahraich belt. Known for his involvement in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Mr. Singh is one of the accused in the Babri demolition case. As per his 2019 election affidavit, he also faces four criminal cases including charges of robbery and an attempt to murder, and was once charged under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act (TADA).

The Kaiserganj MP enjoys massive support in the Gonda-Balrampur belt and hence action against him by the BJP will be highly unlikely, say party leaders. Touting Mr. Singh as the ‘pride of Uttar Pradesh’, his supporters have turned the probe into a state issue, claimingthat the charges against him were falsely levelled by players ‘of a particular region’ — alluding to the wrestlers’ Haryana roots. Mr. Singh has also alleged that the protesting wrestlers are ‘puppets in the hands of Haryana Congress MP Deepender Singh Hooda’.

Gonda: Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh speaks with the media regarding recent allegations of sexual harassment against him, in Gonda district, Friday, Jan 20, 2023.

Gonda: Wrestling Federation of India (WFI) President Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh speaks with the media regarding recent allegations of sexual harassment against him, in Gonda district, Friday, Jan 20, 2023.
| Photo Credit:
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Filing of probe report and further protests

On April 5, the committee filed its final report to the Union Sports Ministry after questioning multiple victims, witnesses and Mr. Singh himself. However, ex-wrestler Babita Phogat objected to the way the probe was conducted and alleged that she was not privy to the full report and that witnesses’ statements were not cross-verified.  Speaking to PTI, Ms. Phogat accused Radhica Sreeman of not allowing her to read the report as her family was involved in the protest. Ms. Sreeman has refuted these allegations.

While the panel’s report has not been made public, PTI reported that Mr. Singh was given a clean chit with a 5-1 verdict.

On April 23, Indian wrestlers including Bajrang Punia, Vinesh Phogat, Ravi Dahiya, and Sakshi Malik resumed protests at the Jantar Mantar, claiming that nothing had been done to resolve their issues. The wrestlers demanded that the panel’s findings be made public and threatened to approach the Supreme Court as Mr. Singh is yet to face any action.

Interacting with the media, a teary-eyed Sakshi Malik said that seven female wrestlers including a minor have each filed a sexual harassment complaint with the Delhi police against Mr. Singh. However, the Delhi police is yet to file an FIR in the case, she said.

“We are being framed as liars which we cannot bear. We are waiting for two and a half months now but no one is listening,” she added.

The wrestlers have also accused Mr. Singh of intimidation in their police complaint. Moreover, Vinesh Phogat hit out at sister Babita Phogat — an oversight panel member — saying she was more worried about her political career than the cause of the wrestlers.

The Delhi police sought a report from the oversight committee and stated that an FIR will be filed ‘after concrete evidence comes to light’.

Backing the wrestlers, Congress’s Bhupinder Hooda and Udit Raj, CPM’s Brinda Karat, Hannan Mollah, and A. R. Sindhu, and Aam Aadmi Party’s Reena Gupta met with protesters at Jantar Mantar on April 24, while the CPI-linked National Federation of Indian Women protested outside Delhi police headquarters, demanding action. Several Haryana leaders like Bhupinder Hooda, Deepender Hooda and heads of many khap-panchayats too have thrown their weight behind the wrestlers.

New Delhi: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat (centre), Sangita Phogat (right) and Sakshi Malik during their protest at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi, Wednesday, April 26, 2023

New Delhi: Wrestlers Vinesh Phogat (centre), Sangita Phogat (right) and Sakshi Malik during their protest at Jantar Mantar, in New Delhi, Wednesday, April 26, 2023
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The Supreme Court steps in

On April 25, the Supreme Court termed the allegations against Mr. Singh as ‘serious’ and listed the petition on non-registration of FIR against the WFI chief on April 28. At the request of the petitioners, their details have been redacted from the court’s records. As per the petition, the incidents of sexual abuse allegedly occurred between 2012 and 2022 during domestic and international wrestling competitions, sometimes at Mr. Singh’s official MP bungalow in New Delhi. One of the complainants alleged that she was harassed when she was sixteen, seeking action against Mr. Singh under the POCSO Act.

“There are serious allegations of sexual harassment in the petition, which is instituted by professional international wrestlers who have represented India,” stated the SC bench, listing the matter for April 28.

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How bullying became Westminster’s latest culture war

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LONDON —  Rishi Sunak’s righthand man is out of a job, after an inquiry found he mistreated civil servants. But this is Westminster, 2023 — which means the never-ending culture war just found a new target.

Dominic Raab resigned as Britain’s deputy prime minister and justice secretary Friday after a report by the barrister Adam Tolley found he acted in a way which was “intimidating” and “unreasonably and persistently aggressive” toward his officials. 

Yet despite Tolley, a respected independent figure, concluding Raab’s behavior “inevitably” caused staff to feel undermined and humiliated, the outgoing minister left government with a stinging attack on the investigation, claiming the bar for bullying had been set “dangerously low.”

Raab’s departure over matters of personal conduct — two-and-a-half years after former Home Secretary Priti Patel was allowed to keep her job in similar circumstances — marks a decisive shift in the way bullying is treated in Westminster and Whitehall, where complaints by junior staff are widespread but rarely acted upon.

The trouble is, not everyone thinks it’s a step in the right direction.

Standard procedure?

Senior figures throwing their weight around in the corridors of power is nothing new. Gordon Brown was notorious for outbursts of rage as prime minister, while his predecessor Tony Blair’s pugilistic press secretary Alistair Campbell is acknowledged as the inspiration behind Malcolm Tucker, the terrifying antihero of political sitcom The Thick of It. 

Parliamentary staffers and civil servants are likely to come across a dizzying range of behavior in their workplace, from the mildly eccentric to the downright aggressive. 

Landmark reports in 2018 found there was a “widespread” problem with bullying in Westminster, and 12 percent of Whitehall officials reported they had been subjected to bullying. 

Since then, a handful of high-profile MPs have had bullying complaints upheld against them, including Patel and the former House of Commons Speaker, John Bercow. 

Aspects of the employment structure at Westminster and Whitehall are widely seen as contributing to the conditions for such behavior to thrive and go unchecked. 

MPs’ offices are a law unto themselves, with little formal human resources oversight, meaning the people who join their offices could find themselves working for a model boss or a raging tyrant. 

“Working for an MP is an incredibly strange job and there is an understanding that things will always have to be a bit different,” as one staffer puts it, “but the kind of behavior that goes on — in any other corporation you’d be suspended.”

Before the outcome of the Tolley inquiry, Raab’s team briefed that he would make no apologies for expecting high standards of civil servants | Tolga Akmen/EPA-EFE

Dave Penman, general secretary of the FDA trade union, argues that the lack of clear procedure for dealing with bullying by ministers “actually encourages those extremes of behavior,” because offenders know they are unlikely to face consequences.

Current and former officials who spoke to POLITICO shared stories of being screamed at in front of colleagues, having their work screwed up and thrown in the bin, and being ordered to clean the office floor — and insisted none were isolated episodes, but part of a pattern of behavior. 

Some of these incidents have resulted in formal complaints but many more have not. Two high-ranking ministers are among those named privately as the subject of persistent bullying concerns. 

One former No. 10 adviser said there was a ‘whisper network’ around bullying, meaning the known offenders in parliament “don’t get punished — they become known as being a bully, and people just don’t apply for jobs with them.”

Meet ‘the real world’

The nettle is especially difficult to grasp because the very concept of ‘bullying’ is contested far more fiercely than other forms of misconduct, such as sexual harassment.

Claims have long been met with raised eyebrows, and the underlying suspicion that much of what is termed “bullying” is in fact an overreaction to a robust management style.

In a case of minister vs. civil servant, all the ingredients are there for a new front in Britain’s culture wars.

Before the outcome of the Tolley inquiry, Raab’s team briefed that he would make no apologies for expecting high standards of civil servants. In his resignation letter, Raab went even harder.

“Ministers must be able to give direct critical feedback on briefings and submissions to senior officials,” he wrote, adding that the bar for bullying had been set “dangerously low.” 

In other words, lily-livered civil servants — whom many Conservatives suspect of harboring anti-Tory, anti-Brexit sentiment — were simply not able to cope with the demands placed upon them. 

One Tory MP elected in 2019, Mark Jenkinson, acknowledged bullying does exist, but said some examples cited in recent newspaper reports, such as throwing small objects in anger, or telephoning staff unannounced, did not meet the bar. 

“Anybody who thinks this is bullying needs to meet the real world,” Jenkinson said. “But maybe I just think that because I’m a Northerner.”

While No. 10 officials insist that the PM did not order Dominic Raab to quit, he clearly did not offer him the same protection as Boris Johnson provided former Home Secretary Priti Patel in similar circumstances in 2020 | Neil Hall/EPA-EFE

Matthew Parris, a Times columnist who was a Tory MP in the 1970s and 1980s, said that bullying is now “much less widespread than it used to be, and at the same time people are more sensitive to it.”

He noted that in his day, “MPs would regularly blow their top and bawl somebody out,” and that “most fearsome of all were the secretaries who ran our offices.”

‘Hard process’

The counter-argument runs that bullying is no more subjective than other type of workplace dispute, and can be tested against established definitions set out by mediation service ACAS and under codes of conduct for MPs and ministers. 

And those who have been involved in a grievance process against an MP insist nobody would put themselves through such a gruelling process without good reason.

Jenny McCullough, a former clerk whose bullying complaint against ex-MP Keith Vaz was eventually upheld, said that pursuing her case had been a lengthy, alienating experience, in which he attempted to stall progress and cast doubt on her own motives. 

“The person who complains brings trouble on themselves. It’s a really hard process,” she said, adding that her confidence and feelings of self-worth had not fully recovered after events which occurred years ago. 

The FDA’s Penman added: “If you’re a civil servant and you think you’re being bullied by a minister, you know only the PM can authorize an investigation — you have no rights and you’re challenging one of the most powerful people in the country.” 

The trade union is now calling for an independent inquiry into bullying and harassment in the civil service in order to establish a new mechanism through which grievances can be lodged against ministers.

Inside the Ministry of Justice, relief at Raab’s departure was mixed with anger at his parting shot. One official said there was “disappointment but not surprise” at the tone of his resignation.

While No. 10 officials insist that the prime minister did not order Raab to quit, he clearly did not offer him the same protection as Boris Johnson provided Patel in 2020, when he ordered colleagues to “form a square around the Prittster.” 

For now, Sunak’s desire to differentiate himself from Johnson may be civil servants’ main weapon on the new frontier of the culture war.



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Video game industry is incredibly profitable. It’s also highly toxic

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By Paul Tozour, Video game industry professional

Recession-proof banks, retail chains, and big tech companies are crumbling from economic volatility, and the video game industry serves as a source of financial hope. 

This virtual world is worth more than music and film combined and has no plans to stop growing: by 2026, it should reach $326 billion (€297.8bn) in value, according to a PwC survey.

Gamers were eager to purchase new consoles and games during the 2008 financial crisis, which defined the industry as virtually recession-proof. 

However, if the US is approaching another recession, customer interest is likely to plummet if the industry’s public reputation remains mediocre. 

Frequent scandals, lawsuits, and general mistreatment stemming from toxic management culture remain common at many video game studios. 

To protect and further the value of the video game industry, skilled leaders outside gaming must be hired to eliminate harmful work culture and abysmal management practices.

There is a long history of ‘frat boy’ toxic culture allegations

The video game industry has famously produced countless products like Pokémon, World Of Warcraft, and Call Of Duty that are beloved by all gamers. 

But they’ve also been notorious for failed game launches, sexual harassment, excessive forced overtime, aka “crunch”, and employee burnout.

Industry giant Activision Blizzard (ATVI) faced an employee walkout in protest of working conditions and was sued by the state of California for a “frat boy” culture that resulted in an employee’s suicide. 

An employee again sued it for multiple harassment allegations later that year. 

Brad Wardell, CEO of niche strategy game developer Stardock, faced similar sexual harassment allegations in 2010, which were later dropped. 

He infamously replied to his accuser in an internal email: “I am an inappropriate, sexist, vulgar, and embarrassing person, and I’m not inclined to change my behaviour. If this is a problem, you will need to find another job.”

Industry giant Ubisoft suffered allegations of a “toxic culture,” including accusations that certain executives engaged in manipulation and emotional abuse. Riot Games faced employee walkouts and ultimately settled a class-action gender discrimination lawsuit for $100 million (€91.3m).

In 2013, developer Trendy Entertainment created a workplace culture so toxic that current and former video developers at the studio contributed to an article that labelled it “The Video Game Studio From Hell.”

No motivation to change

Despite the rampant problems, the industry’s profitability has given it little motivation to evolve. For example, the 2020 release of Animal Crossing: New Horizons sold 39.38 million units in total and became the best-selling game of all time in Japan. 

Investors and leaders alike must recognise that success isn’t sustainable when it rides on the back of exhausted creatives pushed to their limits. 

They must understand that ignoring endemic issues results in irreversible consequences.

Historically, the industry started from college students selling floppy disks with no knowledge of the money machine they were fuelling. 

They quickly assumed leadership positions, although they lacked the necessary skills to guide. 

These issues are perpetuated by the game industry’s insular culture that refuses to learn from more mature industries. It has developed on its own with little cross-pollination from other industries and promotes internally with no management training.

Failures stemming from incompetence

In many ways, the video game industry functions as an isolated cult that doesn’t welcome outsiders with contrasting beliefs. 

This delusion results from a near-total lack of management training and unbelievable numbers of leadership failures.

For example, 3D Realms spent a shocking 14 years and more than $20 million (€18.2m) to develop Duke Nukem Forever and were sued by their publisher before handing development to another studio. 

More recently, CD Projekt RED, creators of the wildly successful Witcher game series, hit the wall in 2020 with Cyberpunk 2077. 

A nearly unplayable release triggered an investor lawsuit. It also faced countless demands for customer refunds, forcing Sony to pull Cyberpunk 2077 for seven months.

The game industry’s artistry, design, and technology continue to evolve at a dizzying pace, but unqualified executives remain. 

These leaders are often incapable of managing growing teams and guiding massively complex development projects because they obsess on maximising output in the short term while ignoring the culture and values necessary for long-term growth.

With the industry’s nonstop growth, companies hire and promote leaders with no concern for educating them on the necessary leadership skills.

Qualified leaders could turn the tide

Having well-trained leaders is essential to dismantling the destructive way many studios operate. 

Purging immature and reckless management from the equation is a necessary step to cure a potentially fatal business problem. 

An unwillingness to accept wisdom from other industries and learn from modern management science underscores the overall immaturity of the gaming industry and all too often holds it back from its true potential.

Some outliers, such as Valve and Supercell, have become wildly successful by explicitly outlining their values and making culture their top priority. 

Investors need to pick qualified leaders from outside industries that make values and culture central to operations and institute rigorous leadership training for internal promotions. 

Only then will video game studios stop squandering the efforts of brilliant artists, designers, and videogame engineers with deeply incompetent leadership and invest in the future of gaming as a mainstream money maker.

Paul Tozour is a video game industry professional with 28 years of experience, including technical design, AI programming, creative director, and more. He is the author of The Four Swords and the founder of the video game studio Mothership Entertainment.

At Euronews, we believe all views matter. Contact us at [email protected] to send pitches or submissions and be part of the conversation.

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