BCB set to form independent complaint committee for women cricketers
Earlier, Jahanara Alam alleged being sexually assaulted by a member of the team management, following which the BCB formed an inquiry committee
The Bangladesh Cricket Board is all set to introduce an Independent Complaint Committee for women cricketers in the coming days, a BCB official said on Monday. The topic was raised during the working committee meeting held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on October 28.
“Yes, the matter (formation of an Independent Complaint Committee) was raised during the last working committee meeting, and we agreed that we need to form it,” said the board director, who is part of the 11-member working committee of the BCB.
“It hasn't been approved yet. I mean, the proposal has been raised, but it hasn't been approved (as it needs to be tabled at the board meeting),” he said. The official added that they were looking to establish an Independent Complaint Committee to ensure that it could function freely, rather than bringing someone from the board to look after the issue.
“We want to bring people from outside for the committee, as it will ensure that if a woman cricketer files a complaint against anyone, we have a free and fair investigation,” he said.
It was learnt that a certain section of the board's top officials felt that the committee should include people from outside, considering that if a complaint was directed against an employee of a particular committee, members of that committee could play a part in disrupting the investigation process.
Earlier, Jahanara Alam alleged being sexually assaulted by a member of the team management, following which the BCB formed an inquiry committee. Simultaneously, the BCB announced that it had decided to strengthen its institutional safeguards through the adoption of a BCB Complaint Committee in accordance with the High Court Division's 2009 judgement.
The committee was headed by BCB Director and Chairperson of the Women's Wing Committee, Rubaba Dowla. In addition, the committee was entrusted with working towards the establishment of an independent complaint mechanism and the implementation of mandatory awareness training to ensure a safe and respectful environment across Bangladesh cricket.
However, the Complaint Committee is now unlikely to be headed by any current board director, with the aim of creating an environment where women cricketers can share their stories without hesitation or fear.
