https://www.sportanddev.org/latest/news/make-football-safe-work-place-wo...
In an article, Minkey Worden - Director of Global Initiatives at Human Rights Watch - wrote that sexual violence in sport often happens due to poor governance, and an imbalance of power that enables abusers and punishes survivors.
The article comes as Safe Sport Day is celebrated worldwide today.
Worden wrote that Human Rights Watch documented depression, suicides, physical disabilities, and lifelong trauma resulting from sexual and other abuse.
"In too many football federations, to report sexual abuse is to end your career," Worden wrote.
"When Human Rights Watch brought cases of sexual abuse to FIFA, it became immediately apparent that there were no survivor-centered systems to investigate sexual abuse or protect whistleblowers.
"In December 2021, FIFA recognised this and committed to a 'global network' to combat abuse. It took 18 months, until this June, for FIFA to release a report outlining the need to set up an 'Independent Global Safe Sport Entity.' After a three-year consultation period, FIFA has finally acknowledged what top athletes have long known: that it cannot investigate itself or its leaders."
She highlighted that Human Rights Watch and the Sport & Rights Alliance have written to FIFA to ask for detailed information on the fate of plans for a Safe Sport Entity to address systemic sexual, emotional and physical abuse and provide remedy and support to victims and survivors in soccer. Worden said that FIFA has not responded.
"FIFA’s human rights policy states that the federation is committed to 'upholding the inherent dignity and equal rights of everyone affected by its activities.' But as Human Rights Watch research in Japan, Afghanistan, and Haiti has shown, FIFA is failing to apply its own child safeguarding rules and background checks to end entrenched abuse in football federations and at national academies, where many of young female players must endure sexual abuse during their training."
She added that from Afghanistan to Zambia — in nearly 20 of 211 national soccer federations — there is a well-documented pattern of systemic abuse across national bodies, where top officials or coaches stand accused of sexual abuse and exploiting young players, including children.
Worden suggested that FIFA should set up an independent body to report abuse, provide emergency support and protection for survivors and whistleblowers, including an expert investigation team to get abusers out of sport.
Click here to read the full article.
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