Investigations revealed of systemic sexual harassment and abuse in Mali basketball team. Human Rights Watch has documented a pattern of sexual harassment and abuse the current head coach of Mali’s Under-18 girls’ national basketball team (which is overseen by the Mali Basketball Federation, a member of FIBA).

In March, April, May, and June of 2020, Human Rights Watch interviewed several current and former players on the Under-18 girls’ national basketball team, their family members, and others involved in girls’ basketball in Mali. These individuals reported to Human Rights Watch that Bamba raped, sexually assaulted, and sexually harassed numerous players on the Under-18 team, at least as recently as 2020 and dating back to 2016, his first year as the team’s head coach.

The Mali Basketball Federation has oversight over the Under-18 girls’ national basketball team, including the selection of the coach. Players and athlete family members told Human Rights Watch that they had alerted the Mali Basketball Federation in 2020 and 2021 relatively to abuse, but that the Federation had taken no action to address the reported abuses. After Human Rights Watch wrote to the Fédération Internationale de Basketball (FIBA), world basketball’s ruling body, detailing the sexual abuse reports in Mali, FIBA has taken an important first step to suspend, pending investigation, coaches and officials who are alleged to have participated in or knew of the abuse.

We contacted FIBA that provides a response.