Dylan Bettencourt
American gymnastic sensation Simone Biles testified before the US Senate on Wednesday about the abuse she and many others suffered at the hands of former team doctor, Larry Nassar.
The hearings are looking into the failed FBI report on Nassar who was later convicted of sexually abusing girls. The disgraced doctor is now serving a life sentence in jail.
“I blame Larry Nassar, and I also blame an entire system that enabled and perpetrated [sic] his abuse,” Biles said.
The four-time Olympic champion Biles added that if you allow a predator like Nassar to abuse children, the consequences will be “swift and severe”.
A clearly emotional 24-year-old Biles was the most high-profile victim to come out against the doctor who also called for the agents involved to be federally prosecuted.
In tears, Biles asked: “How much is a little girl worth?”
Three other female athletes testified on Wednesday with Aly Raisman, captain of the 2012 and 2016 US Olympic gymnastic team saying she was still waiting for answers on an abuse report she filed six years ago.
“Over the past few years, it has become painfully clear how a survivor’s healing is affected by the handling of their abuse,” she testified.
Former gold medalist McKayla Maroney said she was sexually abused by Nassar for seven years, beginning from when she was just 13.
The FBI have since been heavily criticised for their involvement in the case after their report into Nassar found numerous delays and cover-ups by FBI agents which enabled the doctor to continue in an environment where he had caused so much harm.
Two FBI officials were challenged for the errors in the report in which it was discovered that they lied during interviews to cover up their mistakes. The FBI stated that only one of the two officials have been fired.
Director of the FBI Christopher Wray emphasised how apologetic the organisation was for the ‘fundamental errors’ in the report on Nassar released in July.
The 58-year-old Nassar has been accused of sexually abusing over 330 women and girls during his time with the US Gymnastics team as well as at the Michigan State University.
Image source: @Fortune
