[Opinion] Addressing School Violence in Sports: Human Rights Sensitivity Is the Answer

▲ Jeong Hee-young, Professor, Department of Sports Rehabilitation Welfare, Soongsil Cyber University

The school violence issue that began in the volleyball community is spreading throughout the entire sports world. Even without distinguishing between student athletes and regular students, school violence has long been a significant issue in our society. As seen in the case of the late Choi Sook-hyun, joint training camps and group living with seniors and juniors have led to compliance with violence, creating a cycle where victims become perpetrators, a distorted socialization process of violence that has solidified this structure.

According to a 2019 comprehensive survey by the National Human Rights Commission of Korea involving about 60,000 student athletes in elementary, middle, and high schools, 14.7% of respondents experienced physical violence from coaches or seniors, and 15.7% reported experiencing verbal abuse such as insults or harsh language. Among these student athletes exposed to violence, 79.6% did not report or disclose the abuse to those around them, citing fear of retaliation or not knowing how to respond as reasons.

In the past, Korea utilized sports as a tool to enhance national prestige. This created an elite sports environment where students gave up academics to focus solely on athletics. To achieve good results, corporal punishment by coaches and seniors and military-style training methods were somewhat tolerated, which led to the entrenchment of hierarchical relationships in the sports field. Within this structural dysfunction, athletes learned to have low self-esteem, feeling trapped in an environment where they disliked violence and lacked respect for human rights but had no choice but to continue sports.

While some star athletes form various social networks and become national heroes, many student athletes and those belonging to corporate teams remain trapped in the old structure where they cannot voice their opinions. They accept coaches’ words without question and internalize the belief that “I deserve the punishment because I did something wrong.” During a critical period in their lives, athletic performance determines their ranking, and coaches who use violence to enforce this, senior players who bully under coaches’ tacit approval, and a closed structure that enforces obedience to authority still prevail fiercely today.

Education is crucial to resolving this. The right to learn is a foundation for athletes to grow as members of society. Although ordinances to guarantee student athletes’ learning rights and protect their human rights are being implemented through measures such as the “Strengthening Protection of Student Athletes’ Human Rights” and the “School Sports Promotion Act,” many athletes still do not even know who their homeroom teacher is. It is necessary to monitor whether these laws are functioning properly.

Improving the awareness of coaches stuck in the past is also essential. Most sports coaches guide students based on their own experiences as athletes. It is important to firmly instill the understanding that past practices are no longer appropriate. Regular humanities education should also be conducted. The “Sports Ethics Center,” launched last year, should offer mandatory humanities courses to enhance athletes’ self-esteem and sensitivity to human rights.

It is necessary to establish a culture where athletes themselves say, “I protect my body and mind.” While our society as a whole is already in the midst of a whirlwind of change, the sports community is still inadequately prepared. This is why self-reflection and education throughout the entire sports world are absolutely necessary.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.