JWI calls for an investigation of the FBI on the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case.
On September 15, 2021, former Olympic gymnasts Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, Aly Raisman, and Maggie Nichols testified before the Senate about the FBI’s failure to properly investigate the Larry Nassar sexual abuse case. A report by the Justice Department states that the FBI “failed to respond to the Nassar allegations with the utmost seriousness and urgency that they deserved and required, made numerous and fundamental errors when they did respond to them, and violated multiple FBI policies.”
We echo the powerful words of McKayla Maroney when she asked the Senate, “What is the point of reporting abuse if our own FBI agents are going to take it upon themselves to bury that report in a drawer?" JWI's CEO Meredith Jacobs said, "The utter failure by the FBI to take appropriate and urgent action on this case, which involved some of the most elite and prominent athletes in the world, begs the question - if famous athletes are not listened to and believed when they report abuse, who will be? If the FBI so grossly failed survivors with such a prominent platform, it is easy to understand why many survivors are unable to come forward. This case sent the message to all survivors that they will not be believed and their stories will not be valued."
Simone Biles has previously stated that she chose to compete in the 2020 Olympics because she believed that if no survivors of Nassar’s abuse remained active in elite gymnastics, public attention to this case would wane and it would be less likely for survivors to receive justice. Biles alone carried the weight of this case through the Olympics, and faced strong backlash when she decided to step down from the team for mental health concerns. JWI applauds Biles’ strength and bravery in representing all of Nassar’s survivors at the Olympics, a burden she should not have had to bear.
The failure of individuals at all levels is an incredibly important reminder of the role we can all play in bystander intervention, a topic that is at the forefront of JWI’s prevention programming. Too many people in gymnastics were told about Nassar’s abuse and either did not believe the survivors or failed to take appropriate action. It is devastating to think how many young girls were sexually abused by Nassar after reports had already been made against him to officials in USA Gymnastics and the U.S. Olympic Committee. These adults should have protected the young girls who were at risk of abuse, but instead they chose to protect and enable an abuser. The lifelong impacts of this systemic failure on hundreds of women's lives cannot be overstated.
JWI calls on the Senate to support an independent investigation of the FBI and the U.S. Olympic Committee to bring accountability and prevent future mishandling of sexual assault cases. Additionally, we support the Senators who are calling for an additional hearing to understand the full scope of the Justice Department’s failure to act and prosecute the FBI investigators who failed the gymnasts who came forward in this case.
We support and admire the survivors of Nassar’s abuse who shared their stories before the Senate and all the survivors in this case who have shared their stories in order to bring justice and accountability. Your courage to share your stories is an inspiration and will make the world safer for all women and girls.
Jewish Women International (JWI) is the leading Jewish organization working to empower women and girls by ensuring and protecting their physical safety and economic security, promoting and celebrating inter-generational leadership, inspiring civic participation and community engagement, and engaging men as allies in ending gender-based violence. JWI is a Steering Committee member of the National Task Force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence and convenes the Interfaith Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence and the Clergy Task Force on Domestic and Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community.