a forum denounces “omerta” in the world of sailing

“We are a small group of friends, all close to the ocean racing world and all deeply shocked by the silence surrounding victims of sexual assault.” In a column entitled “2023 would rhyme with omerta?”, published Monday September 25 on the website of Sails and Sailboats and on Change.org as part of a petition, several dozen people denounce the inaction in the world of sailing on the subject of sexual violence.

“This is about talking about a social fact that is still too present today, in 2023: harassment and sexual assault. And its terrible corollary: the silence, the shame, the fear which fuels the impunity of the aggressors. write the authors.

“The attackers are identified”

This forum, which is part of the investigation opened by the Paris prosecutor’s office after a report of sexual assault targeting French sailor Kevin Escoffier, received the support of nearly 200 signatories, including the skippers François Gabart, Isabelle Autissier or even Loïck Peyron.

“The sad event in Newport last June had the merit of loosening a few tongues. Shyly, certainly, but the testimonies are there”we can read in the forum, in reference to The Ocean Race, the starting point of the report against skipper Kevin Escoffier.

“The attackers, yes there are of course several, are identified – sad open secrets – but not worried (…). The testimonies collected are not complaints, but they are there, very real. is about women who have been wounded in their flesh, morally marked. These are memories that we do not forget. They hurt, for a long time. They demean. We know that.”also write the authors of the column.